There are specific reasons why you should not save your payment information online. There are times that there would be a pop-up that might ask for you to permit you to store the debit or credit card information for future use. There is no pressure on you to click the ‘Yes’ button. Of course, if you agree, it might make any future purchase a lot more convenient for you. If you choose to click ‘No’, it can be the way to protect your funds from being hacked.
Saving information online
There are several shopping sites that we might have accessed that have that message for us to allow the website to store our online payment information. For merchants, it is advantageous as their consumers will have an easier time during the next checkout, making their payment experience much better. However, for consumers, it might not be a good idea to do so. You need to be aware that saving your prepaid card information is dangerous and may cause you to have other problems such as over-spending.
Survey results
Even if there are safety concerns, a recent survey stated that over 60 percent of debit/credit card account holders in the US had saved their debit or credit card number at an online site or in a mobile application. Over fifty percent do save their payment information at a service or retailer site, while thirty-two percent do save this information in a mobile payment app. Four out of ten people think that it is rather safe to store payment information while the others are skeptical. Over 30 percent think that it is not altogether that safe, while seventeen percent firmly believe that it is not safe.
The payment method
It is best to be aware that there is a risk when you save such information at an app or website. Yet, the risk also depends on the payment method used such as that of a debit or credit card. When credit card details are saved, there is a possibility that a fraudulent payment transaction that can plunge you into debt. When it is debit card information, there is still the risk of your linked accounts being hacked.
Those hackers
It is a good idea to assume that any information you place online may be considered unsafe, no matter how secure a site can be. Hackers have sophisticated tools and use malware. Even if cybersecurity measures are in place, the weakest link is the person who owns the account who blindly trusts the safety of being online.
Impulsive buying
Saving our information makes it much easier for us to make an impulsive purchase as it is easier to checkout. If we have to make the extra effort to place in the details, it does create a bit of an obstacle for us to buy impulsively. Many of us tend to overspend, so it is best not to save our online payment details to prevent us from making it easier to make a purchase.