Could someone explain to me whether or not I can buy things online with it? I got my account from Wamu...and I think I get the gist of it all, but I'm just concerned what exactly I can/can't do with it (in simple people terms, please lol)
2007-12-10 16:01:24 · 12 answers · asked by questionette 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Credit
If the dealer takes PayPal - you can
BUT - know that PayPal takes the money directly from your account - so when you pay - it's GONE
not like writing a check - and it leaves in 2-3 days
PayPal actually prefers to use your checking account, rather than a Credit Card
all the best
2007-12-10 16:05:39 · answer #1 · answered by tom4bucs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have a checking/savings account IT IS NOT THE SAME AS A CREDIT CARD per say. Credit cards extend you credit from the bank that you pay every month to get the balance down. With a checking/savings debit card, you can only use the funds that are in the account in order to buy stuff. if you have a DEBIT CARD (mastercard or visa logo) for the checking and savings that means you can use the card to buy things, yes. That includes online purchases, in store purchases...just about anything. The funds will come from the checking account when you use the debit card and you will only be able to access the savings at the ATM with the card. If you have an ATM CARD for the accounts you will only be able to use it to get cash at an ATM MACHINE, you will not be able to use it for purchases. As for the accounts in general, yes you can use them to pay bills. For example, if you dont have the cards yet and you want to pay a light bill or other bill they just ask for the routing and account numbers and they take the funds from the account electronically, which is better than writing a check and waiting for it to clear. But basically, you can use the accounts for anything. THE ONLY TIME THAT YOU WILL END UP OWING THE BANK is if you write bad checks and overdraw the account (which just means authorizing/using the card to buy things when there are no funds in the acccount). The bank will let you do this sometimes, but it's not a good practice. If you have any other questions you can email me at dymegrl69@yahoo.com I worked for Citibank for 3 years and currently work for Bank of America for 4 years now. But I have a Wamu checking and savings.
2007-12-10 16:08:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tom mentioned Pay Pal but never said what it was.
When you buy something online, it will ask you what form of payment you'd like to use - credit card (you can use a debit card here), check, or Pay Pal.
If you use credit card, it will ask you for the #s on the front of your debit card, the expiration date, and the 3 numbers on the back of the card.
If you use check, it will ask you for your routing # (the first 9 numbers at the bottom of the check), and your checking account # (usually the next set of numbers - take the routing # and check # out of the line, and the rest is your checking acct #), and sometimes it asks for the check # too. This can be confusing, but most checkbooks have a diagram on the first page of what #s are which, to help you out. Sometimes it's the 9 digit routing #, then the checking acct#, then the check #, but sometimes the check # is in the middle.
Lastly, you can use PayPal. If you go to their website, they'll ask you for your payment info - and give you the info you would need to make purchases. Every time you enter your personal info online - like your debit/credit card #, you take a risk that hackers would get your account info. Paypal is a way that prevents you from taking such a high risk - it's widely used, so most merchants take it. You enter your Pay Pal data, and the merchant goes to Pay Pal for payment - PayPal then takes the money out of your personal checking account.
Also, please remember, if you ever have any questions, I'm sure your bank would be happy to sit down with you and explain anything you'd like to know. They can tell you how to balance your account, how to keep your info safe from hackers, etc. That is what they are there for - and if you have a good bank, you'll get some royal treatment while you're there, too! Just don't go on a Friday, when they're busy, lol, they tend to be in a rush.
After all, if someone comprimises your account - THEY are the ones that will have to spend thousands of dollars trying to recover the money. Educating their customers (you) on how to avoid such pitfalls - even something as simple as how to not bounce a check - saves them time and money. It also gives them a break from their endless number crunching they do all day long.
2007-12-10 16:19:35 · answer #3 · answered by Carlii 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah you can buy things online if you have a credit card. I wouldn't get in the habit of it because unless you have the money to pay it off it is a bad bad thing for young person to get in the habit of doing and could lead to financial ruin. Also you should have all that information provided to you by the bank. Also credit unions are better to go with they are not out to make profit like a bank is off your service. And most of them like BECU (boeing emp credit union) has free everything and their own ATM's everywhere so their is no fee. The atms and wamus atms even cost you. Lame
2007-12-10 16:04:28 · answer #4 · answered by MiMi ♥ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most places that you shop from online need a debit card with the visa or mastercard logo. Only a few places you can shop online with echecks (electronic checks). Talk to wamu and get you a card ordered if you want to do more online shopping. Good Luck
2007-12-10 16:05:42 · answer #5 · answered by bewildchild2225 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
WaMu is letting go 3,000 workers...they blame the real estate crisis. Be careful with your money there. I have a balance of $6.00 in my WaMu checking account. I gotthe account to use for electronic purchases. It works well for that.
2007-12-10 16:12:49 · answer #6 · answered by D Weed 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes as long as you have a bank card. You will use the bank card like a credit card when purchasing things online. I'm sure you've been told this, but make sure to buy from a good dealer, or a place that a lot of people use such as amazon, or a store.
2007-12-10 16:06:44 · answer #7 · answered by Jared W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have an ATM card, they work much the same way as a credit card. You have to be very careful balancing your account when you use the ATM card. If you overdraw your account, it can rack up overdraft fees big time. My bank charges $35 per incident.
2007-12-10 16:06:43 · answer #8 · answered by william c 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends did you get a debit card? Just be careful. I didn't realize how to use my checking account when I first got it, and now I am with bad credit and still living at home. Good luck!
2007-12-10 16:05:30 · answer #9 · answered by Super_freak 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you received a debit card with a visa logo on it, you can use that online like a credit card. Keep in mind that you can only spend money you have. The visa logo does not make it a credit card.
2007-12-10 16:05:51 · answer #10 · answered by Automation Wizard 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋