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90sAltRockLover OP t1_iwargyn wrote

Reply to comment by thereia in Just a word of advice (or a very brief rant) by 90sAltRockLover

What does does FUD mean? It would be easier for me to wait, if I was returned my money, so I can go on with my life. Not all of us have it like that, financially

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Tinkiegrrl_825 t1_iwblldj wrote

If you are using your debit card, you need to get a credit card. This way, when a skimmer or thief manages to get your card number they can’t drain your checking account. They take the banks money instead. You won’t be broke while the credit card investigates. I learned this the hard way after my checking account was drained twice by thieves. Debit was likely skimmed once at LaGuardia because my checking was drained while i was on vacation and once more at gas station. Never use debit/credit at the pumps by the way. Always go inside. Skimmers love putting their devices on the pumps. I use credit for everything these days, and if I MUST use my debit I have a separate, fee free online checking account that I only keep a hundred or so in. If a skimmer grabs that card number, they aren’t getting much money. If opening another checking account or getting a credit card aren’t options, most banks have toggles in their apps to turn your debit card on and off. Keep it off until you are about to use the card yourself.

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90sAltRockLover OP t1_iwbnrye wrote

Thanks for the advice. After reviewing the comments, I will look into getting a credit card. Having quite a bit of student loan debt made me hesitant with ever getting a credit card, but this experience has definitely changed my mind!

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displacedfantasy t1_iwbuov4 wrote

The trick is to treat it like cash rather than a loan. Pay it off completely every month, or sooner. This will prevent you from overspending, so you’ll never pay any interest, plus you’ll benefit greatly from all the points

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Tinkiegrrl_825 t1_iwbva3x wrote

Make sure you track what you spend on a credit card and NEVER spend more then you have in checking to pay it. Pay in full every month. You avoid interest on credit cards this way. For a first card, look for something with no annual fee and some cash back rewards. Both Discover and Capital One have pre approval pages that won’t hard pull your credit and tell you ahead of a full application what cards, if any, you can get. You can eliminate some of the risk of being declined for a card this way. If you have an IPhone Apple Card is complexly risk free to apply for. You only get a hard pull IF you are approved and you accept the offer

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thereia t1_iwbi2nx wrote

I mean you aren't really offering any "advice" until you know what really caused the problem. Once you know the specific problem, you might offer advice that people can actually use. Right now its just adding uncertainty.

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90sAltRockLover OP t1_iwbmkcg wrote

I see your point. The only time I use ApplePay tends to be for MTA, which was why I thought I was being helpful by telling people to be careful. For most purchases, I either use Paypal or the merchant’s app to pay bills or make purchases.

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