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Using your phone for shopping online

jackofalltrades

jackofalltrades

Newbie
Hey hey,

Just wondering... how many people use their phones for shopping? For some reason, I never felt safe doing this and was only comfortable using a laptop. But lately I've come around and been buying this and that on my Galaxy S7 (bought last minute travel insurance at the airport, lol).

Does anyone else feel a bit unsafe adding credit card info into your phone?
 
I use my phone all the time (and have it locked w/a PIN), I only shop from 'safe' places though, no shady places I've never dealt with. Like ol' Chief said most places already have my payment info anyway so I go ahead and give them my money over my phone with no worry. And I just love Android Pay so use it whenever I can.
 
A lot of sites, like eBay, Swappa and other parts suppliers I deal with accept PayPal and I have a account linked to a credit card. Good way to donate to devs too, if you like and use their work.
 
jackofalltrades said:
Hey hey,

Just wondering... how many people use their phones for shopping? For some reason, I never felt safe doing this and was only comfortable using a laptop. But lately I've come around and been buying this and that on my Galaxy S7 (bought last minute travel insurance at the airport, lol).

Does anyone else feel a bit unsafe adding credit card info into your phone?
Click to expand...

I just registered with forum. See my first post. No, I do not put anything to do with credit/debit/banking online. I had my identity stolen about 2 years ago. They got a large amount of money from my account (which I did get back), but it was a PITA and much security trouble. Postmaster General found a man with a Texas state, picture ID, with my name/info with a MALE (I am fe), with a man who was in prison for 5 years!! A black man. I am white/female..... No- I do not feel it is safe with today's internet/cell phones. I have since talked to MANY, 'careful' people who bought things online. I will only buy small items with a prepaid card for whatever online store. Ie- Amazon, Walmart; I buy the prepay card at Walmart, put a small amount on the card.
 
If you will subscribe to a VPN service, you will be okay.

I am using PureVPN and have their app installed on my cellphones.

If I need to access anything where money is going to be involved, I always fire up VPN before I log into any secure website. I do NOT want anyone following my keystrokes.

Once you are logged into the secure website, you will be okay.....
but never, ever, use a public WiFi to access a secure website without using a VPN service.
"the Middle Man" hacker is all to prevalent in airport and other such settings.
 
When I am out and about like that, I just never, ever, use WiFi Period.

I always use my Cellphone's carrier signal and VPN.
 
Ilmbg said:
No, I do not put anything to do with credit/debit/banking online. I had my identity stolen about 2 years ago. They got a large amount of money from my account (which I did get back), but it was a PITA and much security trouble.
Click to expand...

Oh wow, I've never heard of such a blatant identify theft Ilmbg! Glad you got everything back.

Out of the two options, I still prefer using a web browser on my laptop, I feel like the security is just a touch better, but maybe that's just me hoping it is! Yeah I've heard public wifi is incredibly unsafe, I'd never buy anything using that :/

Was just doing a bit of research into how much people use their phones for online shopping and stumbled across this article...

https://www.1and1.co.uk/digitalguid...sales/sales-opportunities-in-mobile-commerce/

and it says "US consumers spent $74.93 billion on goods and services with their mobile devices in 2015"

:O I mean... i knew it would be a lot, but was actually floored by how much is spent on our phones. I guess the retailers are loving it if nothing else!
 
I never use my phone on public WiFi period. Nor do I have any financial information on it. I don't use it for banking and I don't have android pay. Heck, I don't even use it for online coupons.
Anything financial I do through my laptop on my home network.
I will go on public WiFi using my tablet. I keep no personal information or contacts on it. At worst they can get into my google play but then they would be stumped. Purchases require a password and I have no payment source on file except for my google rewards.
I will however be looking into a VPN service. Sounds like a great idea.
 
chibae said:
I never use my phone on public WiFi period. Nor do I have any financial information on it. I don't use it for banking and I don't have android pay. Heck, I don't even use it for online coupons.
Anything financial I do through my laptop on my home network.
I will go on public WiFi using my tablet. I keep no personal information or contacts on it. At worst they can get into my google play but then they would be stumped. Purchases require a password and I have no payment source on file except for my google rewards.
I will however be looking into a VPN service. Sounds like a great idea.
Click to expand...

Oh interesting! But do you think a tablet is much safer than a phone?
 
a cellphone or a tablet, makes no difference.
they are both running Android ( presume this, as this is an Android forum )

The home PC browser is a little bit safer because we usually have very good Anti-virus and hacking protection on our PCs.
But still, you must always access the $$$$ websites direct and not by following a link from email or other source, regardless of how "good it may appear".

ie, when I need to access our medical prescriptions, I enter www.humana.com and then follow their login procedure.
I never, never, click on or follow a link from an email that "looks like Humana" email.... maybe it is, maybe it isn't....
but, your account number is embedded in those email links, and thank you, but I do NOT want Google/hacker to get a hold of that number.

By doing this, it just about locks in that I won't do any $$$ stuff on the cellphone.

However, I just broke that rule by signing up for Walmart Pay as a test yesterday...
Only reason is it will track my receipts, and it will preclude me having to go thru the arduous task of removing my wallet, and digging out my plastic debit card.


( my wallet is triple wrapped in rubber bands to prevent thieves from jerking it out of my pocket, and to prevent cards/info stuff from falling out of it while handling the wallet. this was taught to me by a Security person giving my company's employees training in security methods. )

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I use my phone to book taxis, flights, train tickets and hotels. But general shopping online, things like clothes, nope, because the mobile sites suck. Can see much more of the items using desktop or laptop browsers.


Unsafe? No, because usually I'm not using open free public WiFi, or if I am, I'm using a VPN.
 
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Haha. love the wallet rubber band trick! But doesn't it make it awkward if you ever need to pay for something spontaneously? There's been no talk of using your phone's 4G data instead of wifi, would that be safer?
 
Just a comment re using phone data vs WiFi. I do not have WiFi and do not use public wifi...... except a few weeks ago I used the public library to get on my email because I needed to print a page. I am wondering if someone hacked in at that time.
 
I never did and will never do.
Whenever I have intention of shopping onl, I remind myself of some bank account hacking cases.
 
I don't need to shop online while on the move, and a laptop is much more usable than a phone otherwise, so the question doesn't really arise. On rare occasions when I've needed to do something financial using the phone I would use cellular data rather than a WiFi hotspot, but we're talking twice this decade.
 
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