Every 12 seconds, somewhere in the world, a laptop is stolen -- and students heading to college need to take some simple precautions to protect not only their computers, but all the sensitive information stored on them. Don't think you've used your credit card (or your parent's) or Social Security number on your laptop? Think again. All of that data is stored somewhere within your system. Here are 10 ways to protect your computer against theft. |
First, banking institutions that offer online credit card applications use the most up-to-date technology to ensure that their web sites are protected against intrusion and data theft. This technology is known as SSL, which stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a transmission protocol that encrypts? Any data sent between the bank and your computer, such as all the personal information you need to fill out when applying for a credit card. What exactly is encryption? It is a sophisticated mathematical process that disguises data by altering the bits of information in ways that are undecipherable to others. You have probably done encryption in your childhood days when you sent messages to friends in school using a secret language such as reversing the alphabet, so that A meant Z, and Z meant A. That early game was actually a form of encryption. |
Credit card late fees are a fact of life for some consumers, but they don’t have to be for you. Legally, credit card companies can hit you with pretty much whatever fees they want. On the other hand, you don’t have to pay them, but only if you avoid them in the first place. |
The competition to get your credit card business has heated up so extensively that banks are literally paying you to take a credit card from them. Nearly every major issuing bank now offers a credit card that gives you bonuses for using their card. Consider the following offers you can find today on Internet sites where you can apply for a card online. Pay off your cash back credit card monthly. Okay, so there is a catch! In order to make this type of card work for you, you need to pay off your balance every month. If you don’t, then the points you accumulate will easily be offset by interest charges and then some! Redeem and have fun. Yes, sooner than you know it, you will have accumulated enough points to redeem for money. |
Some credit cards offer you rewards such as bonus points that count toward gift certificates redeemable at top name stores, such as Best Buy, Home Depot, and Macy. Other cards offer you rewards in the form of Frequent Flyer Miles to use on any airline. A quick bit of math will prove how valuable this cash back proposition can be. Let’s say you’re a family of four with two cars. You spend $600 a month at grocery stores, $100 at drug stores, and $200 at gas stations. If you pay for these purchases using your credit card instead of cash or a paper check, that $900 per month on which you get 5% cash back. That comes out to $45 per month returned to you. Let’s say that in addition, you use your card to make another $500 in other purchases that qualify for 1% back; that add another $5 to your coffers, for a total of $50 per month, or $600 per year back to you. Not too shabby for just using a credit card. |
If you are carrying a balance on one or more credit cards you already have, you may want to think seriously about applying for a new 0% balance transfer credit card offer. Now you may be wondering how an issuer can possibly offer 0% balance transfers on credit cards, but it’s true. Many leading banks offer interest free balance transfers. That’s right, you can transfer balances from your current credit cards onto the new card that you apply for and pay 0% interest on the balance for up to 12 months. What’s more, some programs have absolutely NO fees to make the transfer, though you must qualify by having excellent credit. Other programs charge a 3% fee of the amount you transfer, but many banks commonly cap the fee at $75. |
« Start Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Next End »
|