| Christmas shoppers use different means for payment
What�s in your wallet? The chances are better these days that it�s not a paper check.
According to the National Retail Federation, almost 40 percent of shoppers will rely on their debit/check cards to make purchases this holiday season while around 30 percent will be using credit cards and 25 percent paying with cash. Only about five percent will write personal checks at the cash register.
Whatever the choice may be, financial counselors, financial institutions, retailers and even shoppers agree that the debit card has become the most common method of payment.
However, Terry Zeltinger, president of United Community Bank, said there is not a �one size fits all� when it comes to paying for purchases.
�Every individual has a different set of circumstances and preferences for the method of payment that fits their situation,� Zeltinger said.
Vouchers make it safer online
Online shopping holdouts can now buy virtual Visa vouchers to pay for internet purchases without the need for plastic cards or even a bank account. The move is expected to assuage fears of thousands of Australians who avoid shopping over the internet or telephone for fear of credit card fraud. Customers can buy "VCard" credit from retail stores in the same way they buy pre-paid mobile phone credit. The credit - up to $1000 per VCard - can then be used in place of a credit card anywhere in the world that accepts Visa. A once-off fee of $5.50 applies for each voucher and you can't spend more than the amount you put on. Market research firm Forrester, in a report released in April, found 7.2 million Australians were online shoppers. It forecast that figure would grow by an average of 22 per cent a year between now and 2010.
Crime Report
Burglary, grand larceny, financial transaction card theft/fraud, 11 a.m.
East Quad, 1400 Blossom St.
Bank of America credit cards, a digital camera, a Wii, games, controllers and a gold and diamond necklace were taken. The cards were used before they could be cancelled.
Estimated value: $2,132
Reporting officer: M. Winnington
Thursday, Nov. 8
Petit larceny, 3:15 p.m.
Blatt PE Center, 1328 Wheat St.
Someone took a pair of pants from the men's locker room. A wallet with $20 cash, two Visa credit cards, a Mastercard, a USB drive and a South Carolina driver's license were in them.
Estimated value: $88
Reporting officer: W. Guyon
Friday, Nov. 9
Auto break-in, petit larceny, 2:50 a.m.
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