Its that time of year again when everyone hits the high street to do their Christmas shopping. There are a few Christmas shopping strategies.
? Start in June This saves you panicking in a number of ways You don't get into debt because you are spreading the cost of Christmas over 7 months. You get to buy presents at bargain prices and take advantage of all the summer sales. There are not Christmas queues and the weather is dry fine and warm, making your Christmas shopping a more enjoyable experience.

? Leave it until Christmas Eve! The shops are desperate by this time and slash they prices incredibly. It is a bit of mad dash but all the Christmas stress is confined to a single 24 hours.

? Buy online. Quick and convenient, no queuing, no trying to find car parking, no terrible weather. Plus many retailers offer discounts for online orders, which means you save money too!

Many people are worried about security and credit card fraud when buying online. Of course this is a worry, nobody wants to be the victim of credit card fraud. However, there are some steps you can take to keep your online shopping experience as safer transaction as possible.

When buying online, only use reputable retailers. This maybe a high street retailer who have an online shopping facilities or a large online store. Maybe a friend has recommended a particular website that they have purchased goods from in the past. Some online shops state how long they have been trading. If a store has been trading online for a number of years, and is well established, this is a good indicator of a reputable store.

When shopping online you inevitably end up at the check out. This is the point where the store will ask you for your name, postal address and credit or debit card details. This is the time when credit card fraud is a danger.

To protect yourself look for a padlock icon in the status bar at the bottom of the window on the actual check out page, where the website is asking you to submit your details. This padlock mean that this page of the website has a secure connection, so any information that you submit on this page will not be decipherable to anyone else, it will be encrypted. If there is not a padlock, it is not a secure connection despite what the actual web page content may say.

You can still submit your details, However, you do significantly increase the risk of becoming a victim of credit card fraud.

Our advice would be to contact the website and ask them to provide you with a secure payment page, or shop elsewhere.

However you do your Christmas shopping this year, Enjoy your experience and keep your card details safe.