Black Friday is just four days away – are you ready? Are your finances?
In addition to staying within your budget this holiday season and finding the perfect gift for your mom, be sure your holiday spending is safe and secure with a few important tips from our partners at Kasasa.
We like to find just the right thing for everyone on our list, but sometimes that items we are eyeing online is coming from a website or vendor overseas. As part of the security of Dakota West Card Services, we watch for purchases from online stores based overseas, but it is also a good idea to know the retailer from which you are making your gift purchases.
Avoid purchasing from ads embedded into social media websites, such as Facebook or Twitter. Instead, search for the item on a known website such as Amazon, or even through a local seller. In addition to protecting your finances, it may also be protecting your identity.
Scams and frauds also increase during the holidays, so be certain where you are sending donations. Lastly, never purchase gift cards or eCards for someone you don’t know – they may be trying to take advantage of your being on Santa’s “Nice” list.
As always, if an offer or a deal or a website sound too good to be true, call your local branch and we will be willing to help you make the best choices to keep you, and your finances, safe this holiday season.
Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Dakota West Credit Union!
What’s Going On In Your Account?
Some of us may have entered adulthood fully engrossed in the digital age, while others may have watched the development of online technology advance from dial-up, to wireless, to mobile technology. Regardless of how we arrived here, we can all benefit from the ability to know at any given moment exactly what is going on in our checking or savings accounts thanks to online account access.
A generation ago, the most you could ever know at any given time was a balance inquiry at your local ATM. Two generations ago, you could only know what checks cleared your account by getting a monthly statement in the mail or visiting a branch to inquire. Now, you can know what’s going on in your account right now – this very minute – or later tonight, or on Sunday morning if you prefer thanks to mobile and online services.
Do you know that 81% of people utilize this technology? But are you taking advantage of all the services available to you? Dakota West offers dozens of how-to guides to help you navigate your online account or make the most of our mobile app, but the true value of being able to access your account anytime you like is to have more control over your own finances.
Our Rewards Checking partner, Kasasa, offers several suggestions on how you can automate your money-movement and investing services to take advantage of the technology designed to serve you. Whether navigating an app is second nature to you, or if you can brag about the digital advancements you have witnessed and conquered, Dakota West’s online account access is designed to connect you with your money so you’ll always know what’s going on in your accounts.
