Holiday travel and shopping is in full swing.  We’ve made it through the biggest shopping day of the year. The biggest holiday of the year is a little under three weeks away. Everyone is putting the finishing touches on their holiday shopping while preparing to travel home for the holidays. We have a few tips to help protect your financial identity while shopping and traveling this holiday season.

• Keep personal items close at hand. While shopping and traveling always keep your personal items (purses, coats, cell phones etc.) with you. Ladies leave your favorite designer purse at home. Travel and shop with a cross body bag (hidden under your coat), wristlet or small wallet hidden in an inside jacket pocket.
• Use cash whenever possible. The best and easiest way to protect your identity while shopping and traveling during the holiday season is to pay with good old cash.
• Keep valuables in the hotel safe. Don’t travel with everything in your purse/wallet. Leave your important travel documents, extra credit card and extra cash in the hotel safe.  It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
• Avoid using ATM’s in busy/open/new areas. If it looks suspicious don’t stop at that ATM.  Visit your normal branch during the day and withdraw your cash before you’re shopping/holiday trip.
• Invest in a RFID blocking wallet or protective sleeves. The latest way that thieves are stealing credit card information is to scan your wallet or purse capturing all of your credit card and ID info at once.  They can be standing behind you/next to you in line and scan your info from an app on their phone.

Also consider shopping and traveling with a pre-paid debit card.  While they can be linked to a checking account or credit card for funding, they are not linked to your social security number.  Some of the pre-paid cards on the market today even offer the same protection and insurance as their credit card counterparts.

Happy holiday shopping and travels.

BMWK: Do you have any other tips to add to this list?