to or not to

TO OR NOT TO
that is the question it seems now

as i went to target in late november to buy a gift for
a baby born to a mom who worked for me when she
was in high school and even then i knew she had it
is now a doctor in practice several hundred miles a way

i thought do i use my american express card to buy the
gift card or use the easier route of whipping out my
debit card punching in my code and saving transactions
later on

so i bought the gift card

then this month target announced it was hacked or somehow
all those debit card numbers and codes were stolen
millions it seems
i thought did i or didnt i use my debit card that day

i looked back and it appears that i used my american express
card to buy the gift card
i have rules i try to follow on using my debit card
and that day i followed my rules

when i buy a gift card a gift an online purchase an appliance
airline tickets donation bill paying etc
i always use my american express card

if they had stolen my debit card info from target
they whoever they are
could empty out my checking account and my savings account
and also pull out money that wasnt there
sure the credit union would give it back eventually
if i notify them in 2 days after it happens
then you lose more of your money

ive known people who have had to wait months to get their
money refunded
some banks ive heard stories even accuse the customer of
stealing it themselves
that was shaft of america bank that did that

now enter the american express card
if there is a problem i call or go online and it gets taken care of
my liability is only 50 bucks
have never in the thirty years ive had the card
well i dont actually have the original one
have i had a problem with them

i have double protections on warranties
i even had companies i ordered stuff from that shut down
and never received the stuff
well that was a wad of worms i bought from a worm farm
in dallas
they credited my account without questions

now i use my debit card a lot
in fact it was a long time before i knew that the bills had been
changed
i thought i had received a counterfeit $20 bill once when i
got extra cash back
i use it for groceries gas small purchases etc

when we travel i only buy my gas with my american express card
also for the motels hotels and restaurants
i never ever use my debit card at restaurants
you shouldnt either
also dont use it anywhere you cant keep an eye on it

although as with the target incident it can be corrupted
when you are watching the transaction take place

i hope that the debit card doesnt go away
im sure the banks would like us all to use only credit cards
the demise of many a persons credit ratings

the american express card we have has to be paid off each month
not like most where you can carry a balance
a nice feature that can keep you out of trouble
and has done well for us over the years

so
to or not to
i will as long as i can

the organicgreen doctor