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Almost all online websites that sell merchandise allow you to create an account and save your credit card information and shipping details. Businesses do this to make it easier for you to complete a purchase and to encourage you to come back to their store because you are already ready to buy from them.
I am not taking advantage of this feature. In fact, whenever possible, I aim to verify as a guest, so I have to re-enter my information every time. And I never store my credit card information on an online shopping site unless I have no choice but to do so.
There is a very simple reason why I chose not to use this handy feature: too much easy to make an impulse buy.
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Why I don’t store my card information
I’m on my computer most of the day for work, and sometimes I decide to take breaks and browse my favorite online stores. Or I get an email announcing a special offer from a store I’m shopping at, and I open it, look, and go to the website.
The problem was, it just got really quick and easy to click on an item and buy it when it caught my eye, especially if my card information was stored on the website. I didn’t really have to think about it because there are a lot of sites that offer one-click purchase. And I didn’t really feel like I was spending real money because, after all, I didn’t have to enter my card details.
I ended up spending a lot of money while shopping online. And I later regretted some of these purchases because they were made without prior planning or even taking a long time to determine if the item was worth buying. And even though I tried to stop visiting websites that were selling things I was interested in, it didn’t always work out very well because it was just too tempting to take a quick peek.
What worked for me, however, was not to store my card details or other information. When my credit cards are not stored, I should make the conscious decision to go in my purse and pull out my credit card, then go back to the computer and complete my purchase. It took a lot longer. And before making a purchase, now I have to ask myself if it is really worth it.
While I fill out the forms with my shipping information and credit card details, I also have the opportunity to take a closer look at my purchase and decide if I want to go through with it. And it feels like more work to complete the transaction, rather than just a fun impulse buy.
Since I stopped storing my cards, I have drastically reduced my online spending, and some weeks I don’t make any purchases. It’s a simple change that made a huge difference.
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