Skip the credit card and pay online with one of these 5 safer options
You’ve probably heard by now that our supply chain is broken, causing shortages in tons of items that people need every day. That includes things you want to buy as gifts. So if you haven’t started your holiday shopping, there’s no more time to waste.
Credit cards may be the most common way to spend money online, but threats like MageCart attacks make them risky to use when it comes to security. Tap or click here to see how 2,000 online stores were compromised after a cyberattack.
There are several ways to pay online that are safer and easier than using your card. We’ll show you our favorite secure methods to pay so you can have peace of mind when you’re shopping this holiday season.
1. Shop Pay
If you’ve ever used Shopify, then you already know about Shop Pay. The company’s built-in payment system protects your card when you buy with merchants that use Shopify. You’ll know a merchant accepts Shop Pay if they display its logo on their store or during checkout.
Shopify created the Shop app to put hundreds of thousands of independent merchants in one convenient app. If you buy using the Shop app, your card information is already encrypted and protected — so you won’t have to worry about your data getting stolen.
The app also has another unique feature: split payments. When you check out with select Shop merchants, you’ll get the option to split your total into four interest-free installments.
While checking out on your desktop, you can securely save your shipping and payment information if you see the Shop Pay logo. Choose Shop Pay as your payment method and click Authorize purchase on the order review page. You’ll receive a six-digit verification code on your phone via text message. Enter the code to approve the transaction.
If you return to this store on the same device, you won’t have to verify yourself again. All you’ll need to do is log in with your account.
It’s super popular
Over 3,000 stores accept Shop Pay, according to Knoji.com. Here are a few stores you’ll find this option at:
- NPR Shop
- Allbirds
- Ring
- Natural Life
- Kith
- Steve Madden
- Beyond Yoga
- Raycon
- Kylie Cosmetics
- Anker
- Jonathan Adler
- Minecraft
- Loeffler Randall
- Codeacademy
- Blueland
- Polaroid
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Payment apps like Venmo, Cash App, Google Pay, Zelle and PayPal are great for paying for goods and services and sending money to friends. You can even use some of them to split a bill at a restaurant. They’re an easy alternative to credit cards that are becoming more widely accepted as time goes on.
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Payment apps make it easy to pay back friends, settle up a restaurant bill or order something online. There’s also a sanitary advantage, as you don’t have to handle credit cards, payment machines or cash.
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