Lately I’ve started to put lots more data in Address book than before. Why not make a group called “Visa Card” and make entries for all the places you need to update that if it’s lost?

Address book is perfect for this with both phone numbers, URL fields, date fields etc.

Then it also syncs to .mac if you use it, to your iPhone, and you can use Plaxo or special software to sync it to gmail contacts too.

Forget to change your credit card in your FedEx account, and your next package will cost you $25 extra and as a bonus you get a nasty letter from FedEx.

I registered just to make this comment…

I can’t fathom this is legal, but when your card is declined due to expiration some companies will try it a few more times while bumping the expiration date each time.

Whether this happens by policy or some accounting type thinking they’re saving time and revenue, I can’t say.

One thing I wished I had done before applying for credit cards, is to do a test run with the customer service lines. That means calling their service numbers to see how long the wait time is to get through, how complex the phone menu system is, and if the customer service reps are outsourced or not.

Once you do have a card, it’s worth testing out customer service again. Some credit card companies will also follow an aggressive script to sell you services with every phone call you make. I’ve had some nightmare calls with very very eager reps. When this happens, I put the company “on notice” and avoid using their card. I just don’t want to deal with stupid phone calls later on.

Call me a fuddy-duddy, but I hate authorizing vendors to charge my card whatever they decide I owe them this month.

Sure, it’s unavoidable for some things, but I’d much rather get a bill, and see what they’re charging me for, and then authorize the payment.

Instructing your back to pay $63 to the cable company each month is much safer, since you’re not authorizing the cable company to suck down however much they want.

One hears horror stories.

KeePass is a perfect place to store this. I’m already using it to store all my login information for my online accounts, and it has an url field as well as a place to make any random notes you want about each entry. You can also use it to securely store any other type of data you want - your credit card numbers, your kid’s social security numbers, WEP keys, software license keys or registration information, etc.

I don’t have a list of everyone who has my credit card. However, when I moved last year, I started keeping tracking who had my snail mail address.

I’ve compiled that in to a list, including links to the page where you can make the change (or as close as you can get).

Much like keeping track of who has your credit card number, and who has your snail mail address, one might consider making a database (or spreadsheet) for who has your various e-mail addresses on file.

I decided to make a password-protected database containing the date I register at a website, my username and password, and any other registered info (e-mail address, answer to security question, etc.)

As I use multiple e-mail addresses, I decided to initiate this system in the event I ever let one lapse - then I’ll know who has it and whether I want to go back later and update my profile with a new e-mail address.

I lived with the Internet Credit Card and Real credit card for a long time. Now its, Real Credit card, and Re-occuring payments credit card. For all the online purchases its throw away credit cards, from my bank. Almost all credit cards let you log into your account and create a temporary credit card. You enter an amount say $20.00 and number of months its valid say 2 months and it gives you a credit card number with 3 digit verification code that can be used for up to that amount, then you can go and buy that $12.95 item you must have on the net. Freed me up to use even the most scechy of web transaction sites because there is really not much a thief can do with the card number.

My computer was stolen in April. I had to change all my bank accounts, credit cards, and passwords. Great fun. Still running across things left undone. I think it would be a good idea to do this yearly. Bad thing is the cost and time. New checks, reregistering, new cards (cut them up when they arrive after the photocopy thing). Firefox - Tools - Options - Security - Show Passowords - Show Passwords Could not find a way to print off the list so I took screen shots pasted into the small 8-panel folded book and I have all my internet sites, username, and password listed. I keep it in my wallet too.

…can be troublesome for the forgetful. Thinking of all this merging and purging to funnel down to the use of one card reminds me of an interaction I had a couple of weeks ago with a representative over the phone.

I had a card with an unnamed (US) Bank, hmmm, seems I just named them…anyways, the deal was if I use it at least once every year I wouldn’t be charged the annual fee. A better offer and a balance transfer later and I was off of said card. Forgetting this “use once” stipulation I found myself the recipient of a 20 dollar fee some 12 months later.

If you balance transfer, or stop using a card then you should REALLY stop using it. If there is no balance due, call and cancel. Unless of course you enjoy arguing your way out of fees w/ customer service at 9pm on a Wednesday evening.