[Blindtlk] handling money

[Marion Gwizdala]

Humberto,
    I rarely use cash, with the exception of small purchases and bus fare. I 
pay all of my household bills on-line and regularly make purchases on the 
internet. It is important to always use common sense and only give your 
information to trusted sites. Email messages from those with whom you do 
business will always have some identifying information to help you know it 
is really from them, such as the last four digits of your card number or by 
addressing you by name.
    Having said this, I have an encrypted, password protected file on my 
computer with my banking information. this includes my bank's routing number 
(the 9-digit number that identifies your banking institution), my account 
number, and all of my credit/debit card information. this information 
includes the card number, the expiration date, and the card verification 
value (CVV). These are the pieces of information you will need to complete a 
transaction using your debit/credit card on-line or by telephone.
    For the past three years, I have never written a check from my checking 
account. If I need cash, I get it along with another purchase using my debit 
card. My bank also offers free bill pay service in which they will send a 
check to any person or organization. I also use Pay Pal to send my daughter 
money and receive payments from clients.
    Another hint I would like to offer is how to tell your debit cards 
apart. I have two debit cards associated with two different accounts. I have 
cut a 45 degree edge off of the card I use most frequently. Just be careful 
to not cut the magnetic strip on the card! My wallet also has three pockets 
in it where I place my various cards: My debit cards go in one, my credit 
cards in another, and my store credit cards, e.g. WalMart, Target, Pennys, 
Lowes, etc., in another.
    The internet is a great way for blind people to manage money. Again, 
just use common sense. If it looks fishy, it probably is! When in doubt, 
pick up the phone and check it out! HTH!

Fraternally yours,
Marion Gwizdala






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "humberto" <humbertoa5369 at netzero.net>
To: <blindTlk at nfbNet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:36 PM
Subject: [Blindtlk] handling money


> Hello everyone.  Hope you are having a nice spring break.  If you're not 
> on spring break, still, have a nice week.  I have a question that I'm 
> wanting to ask other blind people but I don't know if this is the correct 
> list to ask this question.  My question deals with online purchases and 
> electronic transactions.
> First, how accessible are the buy-content forms with any screen reader? 
> Second, I have a debit card and I would like to use it for, say, buying 
> things off the site Amazon.com.  I heard that on online stores or sites, 
> you have to enter details for credit cards only.  My question is, how do I 
> enter the details for a debit card? Is there a specific number or 
> character code printed on my debit card that I should memorize? Is there a 
> place on the page (when I'm actually buying) to enter specifically debit 
> card details? Are debit transactions secure online?
> I'm sorry to go off-topic here, but I wanted to know how blind people deal 
> with these experiences while purchasing content from Itunes, for instance, 
> and things like that.  One of my blind friends does this independently, 
> and I believe I can do this, and as a matter of fact one factor of 
> independence is the ability to be able to do this and one of many other 
> things on my own.  Plus I can manage my own life better when I move out! * 
> smile * Any input on this matter is appreciated.
>
> cheers, Humberto
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindtlk mailing list
> blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> blindtlk:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/blind411%40verizon.net