Cardholder Tips ^top

Use your credit cards and check cards safely. Follow these helpful tips:

  • Report lost or stolen cards immediately.
  • Ensure that your card is signed on the signature panel as soon as you receive it.
  • Protect your cards as if they were cash. Do not leave them unattended anywhere, such as in a car, bar, night club or on the beach.
  • Never write down your PIN - memorize it.
  • Ensure that you get your card back after every purchase.
  • Always check sales vouchers including purchase amount when you sign them - keep copies of sales vouchers and ATM receipts.
  • Never give your credit card number over the phone, unless you are dealing with a reputable company, or you have initiated the call yourself.
  • Always check your billing statement, especially after a trip. Check the amounts of your purchases against your sales vouchers and receipts - specifically look for transactions which are not yours.
  • Make a record of your credit card account numbers and telephone numbers for reporting lost or stolen cards. Keep that list in a safe place.
  • Know who has access to your cards. If your credit card is borrowed by a family member (spouse, child, parent), with or without your knowledge, you may be responsible for their purchase/cash withdrawal.
  • Always check your card when you get it back in a store or restaurant. It's easy for you to forget your card when you are in a hurry. It's easy for waiters or sales people to give you the wrong card when they're in a hurry.
  • Only carry the cards you need immediately, in case of theft or loss.
  • Limiting the number of cards you carry limits the potential for fraud.

Online Shopping Tips ^top

Where else can you shop for virtually anything you need, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day? Just like shopping at your local store, your ESL Visa is the best way to pay when shopping online. You can use your card to pay for purchases at a wide variety of online merchants, and are protected just as you would be in the physical world.

Always use a secure Web browser.

Using Netscape Navigator version 4.0 (or later), or any version of Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser provides you with an added level of security when shopping on the Web. These browsers use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, a proven and easy-to-use system that lets your browser automatically encrypt, or scramble, your personal data before sending it to the merchant via the Internet. SSL shows you that a Web site is secure when an unbroken key or a lock appears in your browser window.

Shop with merchants you know, or research before you buy.

If you're not familiar with an online store, take the same precautions you would with traditional mail and telephone merchants. If you have concerns, ask friends for references, contact your local consumer protection agency, or check the company's complaint record with a business monitoring organization such as the Better Business Bureau in countries where these organizations are available.

Check delivery and return policies.

Before completing an online transaction, read the delivery and return policies on the merchant's home page. Make sure you can return any unsatisfactory items and check to see if you can get your money refunded or if you will receive a merchandise credit. Sales policies should cover the delivery methods and cost of delivery, currency accepted, taxes applied, return and refund policy, and a contact number or email address.

Keep a record of your transactions.

Just as you would save your receipt in case you need to return or exchange an item, you'll want to keep a record of all online transactions, including the merchant's URL (Internet address). That way, you'll have all the information at your fingertips in case a question about an order arises.

Keep your password secret.

Some online merchants require you to register a user name and password before buying an item. Just as you keep your Automated Teller Machine (ATM) code secret, keep your password secret from outside parties.