Shopping Tips For Online Security

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!

Tips On How To Save, Even A Little At A Time

One of the ways people manage their finances during times of economic uncertainty is to focus on saving a few dollars wherever possible. We watch ads, we tighten our budgets, and we keep tucking away whatever we can into our rainy-day fund.

Our partners at Kasasa also offer a few tips to help us keep watching our nest egg grow. For example, avoid impulse purchases by waiting 24 hours to make any expensive, nonessential purchases (and if they’re online, you may receive a promo code or better pricing if you leave something sitting in a cart for a day or two).

Another simple practice is designate one day a week as a “no spend” day. Kasasa also gives you a few tips to save money at the grocery store like bringing your own music with you. And if you’ve been busy spring cleaning during the past few months, you might want to consider some tips from Kasasa for selling you stuff online.

If you have a Kasasa account, you already know one great way to earn a little extra money each month. If you’d like to pocket some extra cash, open a Kasasa Cash Back® checking account, or convert your current Dakota West checking account to take advantage of the benefits of a Kasasa account. Call us at 800.411.7590, email us at dwcu@dakotawestcu.org, or start a new membership with Dakota West and Ask for Kasasa®.