Holiday Shopping

These tips will help you avoid holiday shopping problems
and New Year’s budget blues

• Prepare a holiday budget and stick to it. Avoid overspending by paying with cash.
• If you pay with a credit card, use just one. If you pay by credit card, you get legal protections if you don’t receive what you ordered or if products are defective. Read the terms of your credit-card agreement.
• Ask about refund policies before you buy. Some stores offer a full refund, while others offer only a store credit or no refund at all.
• Save receipts. You’ll need them for returns and exchanges.
• When buying sale items, check your receipt before you leave the cash register. Make sure you were not charged the regular price.
• When buying on the Internet, check that the website is secure before entering your personal or financial information. Secure websites begin with "https://" rather than just "http://." They also display a locked padlock at the bottom of the screen.
• Read a contract and understand it before you sign. Check the interest rate and the total cost of the item when interest is included. Ask yourself if the interest rate is reasonable and whether you can afford the purchase.
• Don’t be a victim of identity theft. Do not give personal information over the telephone or on the Internet unless you initiate the contact. Do not write your address, phone number, Social Security, or driver’s license numbers on credit-card receipts. Before giving personal or financial information to a business, ask how it will be used and if it will remain confidential.
• When buying a gift card, ask if it can be redeemed for cash. The store’s policy will determine if the balance is given in cash or remains on the card to be spent later. Nearly all service fees on retailer gift cards and gift certificates are forbidden. In California, most gift certificates don’t expire no matter what the fine print says.
• Many phony charities use names that sound like the real charities. Don’t be fooled. Investigate before you give.