Shop Online Using a Debit Card

Making a purchase online with your debit card is a pretty straightforward process. However, it’s important to remember that your debit card is tied directly to your bank account, which means you’re putting your account at risk each time you use it online. So if you’re going to use it, exercise caution whenever you do. Better yet, consider alternative payment methods to keep your personal data out of the hands of nefarious folks looking to hijack it.

Steps

Making a Straightforward Purchase

  1. Select your goods and proceed to checkout. Search the website in question for what you’re looking for. Select that item’s profile page. Enter the quantity that you want to purchase in the appropriate field if it's more than one. Then click “Add to Cart.” Do the same for any additional items you want from the same vendor. Then click “Proceed to Checkout" when you're done filling your cart.
    • These steps are based on Amazon’s procedure for online ordering. Procedures for other companies will vary slightly, but the general concept is the same.
  2. Sign in or create a new account. If you already have a personal account with that company, enter your username and password. If not, sign up for a new account in order to complete your purchase. Fill in all required fields with the appropriate information.
    • Some sites may also allow you to make a purchase as a "guest," without having to set up a personal account.
  3. Enter, confirm, or switch your shipping address. If you’re new to this site, enter the address that you want your purchase shipped to (unless, of course, your purchase is a download). Otherwise, double-check the default shipping address if you use more than one. If necessary, switch or enter a new one if you want this purchase shipped somewhere else.
  4. Add a new payment method. When asked to choose a payment method, Click “Add a New Credit Card or Debit Card” to use your debit card on this site for the first time. Enter the card number. Do the same with your name and double-check that what you fill in matches what’s on your card (for instance, make sure you include your middle initial if it’s included on your card). Then enter the card’s expiration date. Once the card’s added to your account, click “Use this Method.”
    • Some sites may only require these three pieces of information. Others may ask for additional information, such as the 3- or 4- digit security code on the back of your card and/or your billing address, in order to confirm your identity.
    • Also, depending on the site, you may have to option to save your debit card information. Doing so will allow you to skip this step in the future, but it also makes your account vulnerable should anyone gain access to your account for this particular website.
  5. Select your preferred shipping method. If you’re having your purchase mailed to you, review what options are available to choose from regarding shipping. These will vary from company to company, so not all may apply, but you can generally expect choices between:
    • Different carriers, like USPS, UPS, and FedEx.
    • Different services, like Next Day, 2nd Day, Ground, or Economy shipping.
  6. Review your purchase order before placing it. Before completing your purchase, make sure all the information that you’ve entered is correct. Double-check the quantity of the item you’ve selected in order to avoid purchasing more or less of the item in question than you meant to. Confirm that your shipping address and method are correct, and that your debit card has been selected as the payment method.
    • If everything is correct, click “Place Order” to complete your purchase.

Reducing the Risk of Fraud

  1. Use your own Internet connection when buying. Keep in mind that whenever you go online, you run the risk of having any information that you share stolen by hackers. Reduce your risk of losing important financial information and do your online shopping through your own Internet provider at home. If you have WiFi, make sure it's passcode protected so strangers can't access it. Avoid sharing financial information online when using:
    • Shared networks at work.
    • Free WiFi hotspots.
    • Any Internet access that’s open to the public.
  2. Research vendors before purchasing. Search online for outside reviews for each company that you intend to buy from. Look for any red flags that might indicate that you’re better off buying somewhere else if you've never heard of that company before. Don’t automatically accept that it's a legitimate or trustworthy business just because it has a professional-looking website. Also double-check that you typed the web address correctly, since scammers often create websites with common misspellings of legitimate vendors.[1]
    • Easy sources include Google and Yelp reviews from previous customers. If you can’t find any of those, this may be a sign that you should make your purchase elsewhere.
    • Always check who is fulfilling the order before completing your purchase. Remember that marketplace sites like Amazon often act as a middleman between yourself and a third party instead of fulfilling the order themselves. This means they will share your debit card information with that third party in order to complete your purchase.
  3. Look for clues about the site’s security. Only makes purchases through sites that are well encrypted against hacking. Once you proceed to the site’s checkout section, check each page that you go through for visual clues that indicate strong security. These include:[1]
    • Each page’s URL switching from the “http” heading to “https.”
    • A padlock icon in between “https” and the rest of the address.
  4. Check your bank account regularly. If you choose to shop online with your debit card, be vigilant about the account that it’s tied to. Make a daily practice of checking your balance so you can spot any fraudulent activity right away. Expect to be held legally responsible for any purchases made through your debit card if you don’t alert your bank about fraudulent purchases within 48 hours of each incident.[1]
    • Start checking your account every day as soon as you start using your debit card online, but don’t slack off as time goes by. Just because a hacker didn’t use your information right away doesn’t mean that they don’t have it at their disposal.

Choosing Safer Options

  1. Use a prepaid debit card instead of your personal one. Go to any store that sells a variety of gift cards. Pick up an un-branded gift card from a major credit card company that’s already filled with x-amount of dollars (as opposed to, say, an Applebee’s gift card that can only be used at Applebee’s). Use this in favor of your personal debit card, since it’s in no way tied to any personal information of yours.[2]
    • Expect to have to pay an activation fee when you first purchase a prepaid debit card.
    • Prepaid cards have some restrictions about where and what they can be used for, buy you can generally get around those by using your card to start a PayPal account, which you can then use to shop online.
  2. Use a credit card instead of a debit card. Don't use the card that's tied directly to your bank account. Instead, opt for a credit card. This way you won't lose any of your personal money in the event that your payment method information is compromised.
    • Dealing with credit card fraud can also be inconvenient, but the up-side is that the credit card company is the one who must get its money back, not you.[3]
  3. Create a Use-PayPal account. If your bank doesn't offer an online intermediary service, use PayPal as one instead. Open an account with them and link your debit card with it. Use your bank account to fill your PayPal "wallet" and then use your PayPal account to make purchases with accepting vendors.[4]
    • The benefit of this is that you only have to worry about your debit card information being compromised on one site, rather than every single one that you've ever made a purchase from.
  4. Only use your debit card as a last resort. Remember: your debit card is tied directly to your checking account. Take that to mean that this is the last payment method you should ever choose to use online, because if it falls into the hands of hackers, they now have access to your money. Only use it online if it’s absolutely necessary.[5]
    • Having money stolen from your account is bad enough, but keep in mind that this may cause additional problems that will cost you even more money. For example, you may get hit with overdraft fees or penalties for bounced checks if you continue using your account without realizing that it's been drained.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://blog.credit.com/2013/07/shopping-online-why-you-should-choose-credit-over-debit/
  2. ↑ http://www.itstactical.com/digicom/privacy/how-to-use-prepaid-debit-cards-for-anonymous-cash-like-digital-transactions/
  3. ↑ https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/credit-card-vs-debit-card-safer-online-purchases/
  4. ↑ http://www.itstactical.com/digicom/privacy/how-to-use-prepaid-debit-cards-for-anonymous-cash-like-digital-transactions/
  5. ↑ http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/10-places-not-to-use-debit-card-1271.php

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