I've been caught in only one breach (that I know of). But that sort of
thing is the main reason I try to use PayPal as much as possible for on-line
shopping. It's not that I assume PayPay will take better care of my data
than other vendors (though I hope they do) - but I like giving my card to
only one vendor rather than many, thus reducing my risk.
I'd be interested in some knowledgeable cove's comments on something else I
do with my credit card that I don't think I've heard anyone else admit to.
I had a single credit card for years - decades, I guess - and every so often
the issuer raised the credit limit. ("You've been very responsible with
your card. Here's a new credit limit: Go be just a little less
responsible, please, take a vacation or something!") It got up to I think
$24 000 or thereabouts, and then ten or twelve years back I caught swine flu
and spent some months in the hospital, then some months more in a sort of
rehab facility. (It was really an old-folks' home, but the point was that
there were PTs there to help me recover, walk again etc). I wasn't able to
work for almost a year, from Christmas Eve to about Thanksgiving, and for a
while I had to let my credit-card balance rise.
Once I was able to start making payments again, I paid it off pretty quickly
- but the card issuer reduced my available balance every time I paid off
more, then canceled the card in the end. I was eventually issued a new
card, but with a very low credit limit - and my work used to involve travel,
ie airfare, car rental and hotels. This card wasn't going to cut it.
It took me a while to realize that the solution was simple: I simply put a
few thousand on the card, as though it was a pre-paid. The credit limit is
back up to a usable level now, but I'm still in the habit: I keep a
negative balance on the card.
Yeah, yeah, I know they're profiting from "borrowing" my money. But I pay
the same either way, so I can't see that it makes a difference to me. Are
there disadvantages I'm missing?
---
Bob Bridges, [email protected], cell 336 382-7313
/* Do not hit at all if it can be avoided, but never hit softly. -Theodore
Roosevelt */
-----Original Message-----
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> On Behalf Of
Phil Smith III
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2022 18:21
Re card breach liability: yes, there's theoretically a $50 cap; de facto, it
seems to be $0. I've never found anyone who's gotten hit for the $50, and
I've asked hundreds of folks at dozens of presentations I've given on
Payments. I have an unconfirmed theory that if you're a deadbeat-behind on
payments, huge balance, etc.-they might try to ding you, but otherwise
they're not going to risk ticking you off over pennies like that.
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