Prepare For Your Holidays With Travel Alerts

What are your plans for the holidays? It may still be a little early to finalize where you’ll be sitting down to your Thanksgiving dinner or where you’ll be unwrapping presents this Christmas, but there is one way to make sure your holidays are not filled with unwanted surprises: call your local branch and set up travel alerts for your Dakota West Mastercard® Debit and Credit cards.

While we monitor your usage for charges that may be unexpected, we also want to be sure your card is fully accessible if you are going to be visiting family across the state, or back home from your current work location. By providing specifics of where you will be during this increased travel season, we can be sure your cards are always available when you need them.

Of course, because there is often more activity on your card, the risk of a fraudulent or unapproved transactions can be prevented when card controls and travel alerts are in place. In addition to notifying us before you hit the road, you can also take advantage of the MY Cards mobile app to set locations based on your travel, transaction alerts, and even turn your debit or credit card on and off in real time.

While many of our members may decide not to travel far this season, It's still a good idea to take control of your Dakota West cards with an extra layer of protection this holiday season. Even if you are just traveling to Fargo to see your new grandbaby or headed to Deadwood for New Year’s Eve, as soon as your plans are final, give us a call before you go. Let us help keep your cards, and your money, safe.

Meet Sandy Bakke

If you’ve been a member of Dakota West for a spell, you’ve probably spoken with Sandy Bakke, the voice of our Card Services department. She’s been a fixture in our Watford City branch for more than a quarter of a century joining us at just the right time in her life.

“I was babysitting for someone who knew I was ready to not be babysitting anymore,” she recalls when she began at McKenzie County Credit Union. She started in the lobby of the former location across the street, which her current office now overlooks. Today she monitors the activity of all Dakota West debit and credit cards, tackles fraudulent alerts like a ninja, and shares her knowledge about the ways in which the credit union has grown into a modern financial institution.

Most of her time away from the branch is spent with family, whether close by, or across the state. When asked what she might be doing if she were not spending her days at Dakota West, she admits that not something she’s thought about for years. “Although, retirement is an option.”

Often she protects our members in ways they do not even recognize, such as identifying online transactions a member is attempting are actually originating abroad, which is automatically declined for the member’s protection. “They usually thank me for having that feature, because websites don’t always reveal when they operate overseas.” She values any time she receives words of gratitude.

For the experience and expertise she shares with our staff, and the effort she focuses every day on every card for every member, we thank you, Sandy!