Here are 10 summer spending mistakes to avoid.
1) Letting Your Mail Pile Up
If you’ll be away for three or more days, it’s a good idea to have the post office hold your mail.
The last thing you want is a big pile of mail sitting on your doorstep or spilling out of your mailbox while you’re on vacation.
Thieves often sift through mail hunting for credit card statements, bank records or other financial data to steal.
2) Overspending on Credit Cards
It’s easy to lose track of your spending when you’re constantly whipping out a credit card to pay for a summer trip.
To avoid maxing out your credit cards, which lowers your credit score and can blow your budget, establish a spending limit for your trip and stick to it.
You might also consider an all-inclusive vacation or a cruise, where the price of most of your trip is built into the upfront cost you pay.
3) Losing Track of Your Wallet
While on vacation, you’re eager to hit the beach, get on the golf course or make it downstairs in time for that 7:30 a.m. tour.
So you rush out of your hotel room and beat a path to your first activity of the day.
What you don’t realize is that you carelessly left your credit card or wallet sitting out on the table or the bathroom countertop.
That’s a big mistake, because your private financial data or other sensitive information, such as that contained in your driver’s license, could now easily be stolen.
4) Not Securing Your Electronics
Just as you should protect your wallet and credit card during a trip, so too should you secure other sensitive items, such as the laptop computer, tablet or smartphone you may have with you.
Many computers contain a ton of personal information, including financial data or info about your online credit and banking accounts.
Before you venture out each day, put computers and electronics into the safe in your hotel room.
If there isn’t one, be sure to at least put password protection on your laptop, cellphone and other devices to keep prying eyes away and reduce the temptation for theft.
5) Logging-in to a Public Computer
Maybe you haven’t brought a laptop along with you on vacation because you plan on using a computer at an Internet cafe or hotel business center.
Unfortunately, whenever you use a PC that’s not yours — during the summer or any other time — your identity is at risk.
That’s because those computers could contain spyware that records every keystroke, user name, password and website you visit.
So if possible, avoid business center or Internet cafe PCs. If you must use them, always log out afterward, delete your search history and shut down the browser before leaving.
Continue Reading 10 Summer Spending Mistakes to Avoid on AARP.org
