Your Financial Guide to Stress Free Holidays.
As the holidays approach, the excitement of gift-giving, festive decorations and gatherings with those we love fill the air. However, it’s also a time when we spend more finding that perfect gift, buying extra decorations to make our homes more joyous, and upgrading our everyday meals to make festivities special. To keep the holidays happy, we’ve put together these 8 tips to help you be financially savvy.
1. BUDGET FOR NEXT SEASON NOW!
In online banking, you can schedule a monthly transfer of funds from a checking account to a savings account! If you start now, you’ll have a nice chunk of change saved up for next season. To get started, simply log into Online Banking, click the Transfer menu, and follow the prompts under Scheduled Transfers.
If you really want to protect that savings from other emergencies that pop up throughout the year, you can open a totally separate Holiday Savings Account. This special account allows you to save through mid-October, at which point we mail you the balance of your account to spend that holiday!
Learn About Holiday Savings Accounts
2. SET UP ALERTS
Alerts are a great resource to track spending and to ensure you’re not exceeding your budget. Alerts can be set up in our mobile app or in online banking. Some alerts include account activity, balance thresholds, security alerts, and loan payment alerts.
3. NOTE OUR FRAUD HOTLINE.
Fraud is high around this time of year. If you see an unfamiliar transaction and think your card has been compromised, you can turn your card “off” in our mobile app. To do so, simply log into the PWSB Personal Mobile app, and click on the Manage My Cards menu. Consider practicing with this feature for when you really need it. Also note our Card Self Service Line at 1-800-472-3272; we’re available 24/7 to help you with a lost or stolen card.
4. NOTE HOW MANY TIMES YOU USE YOUR DEBIT CARD EACH DAY
As you are shopping, make sure you are paying attention to transaction counts. To reduce the risk of fraud, transaction limits and dollar limits are on debit card spending. Many large online merchants such as Amazon, Target, and Walmart may charge your account more than once per order after items have confirmed to ship. Having a second form of payment is recommended as a backup in case the transaction count is met on a busy shopping day.
5. PROTECT YOUR CARD NUMBER WITH DIGITAL WALLET.
Digital wallet is another great way to make shopping convenient and safer. Using digital wallet at the store is a safe way to pay, as your card number is never shared with the vendor. Instead, a code is generated for each transactions and all transactions are encrypted making them more secure. Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay®, Google Pay® and Fitbit Pay® are all ways to pay online and in store.
6. SPLIT THE COST OF A GIFT WITH ZELLE(R)*
Zelle® provides a safe and secure way to send money to friends and family, making it a fast and easy way share the cost of a gift, or the cost of a post-holiday-shopping hangout. Zelle is accessible through online banking and through our mobile app.
7. EARN POINTS FOR GIFTS, TRAVEL AND MORE WHEN YOU USE YOUR DEBIT CARD
Here’s a great reason to use your PWSB debit card: the uChoose Rewards® program. Each time you use your debit card, you earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards, travel and more. If you have more than one debit card for your household, you can link them both to your uChoose Rewards account and pool your points to earn bigger and better rewards. Once you’ve enrolled, you can log in at uchooserewards.com to track your points, see what rewards await and redeem your points. Best of all, there are thousands of ways to spend your points! Earn one point for every $4.00 spent using your debit card.
Enroll or Log In To UChoose Rewards
8: MANAGE BANK ACCOUNT BALANCES WITH EXTERNAL TRANSFERS
External Transfers are transfers of money between your PWSB accounts and your accounts at other US financial institutions. All customers enrolled in Personal Online Banking can use this service, which is called “Transfer Now” inside the transfer menu of Personal Online Banking, and “Make an External Transfer” inside our mobile app. The Transfer Now button is located at the top of the homepage in Personal Online Banking, and in our personal mobile app, it’s under Transfer and Pay. So when you’re noticing one of your accounts is low from all that holiday shopping, you can easily transfer funds between financial institutions to restore a higher balance without leaving your home or writing a check!
*Mobile network carrier fees may apply. Transactions typically occur in minutes when the recipient’s email address or U.S. mobile number is already enrolled with Zelle®. In order to send payment requests or split payment requests to a U.S. mobile number, the mobile number must already be enrolled with Zelle®. Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.
Apple Pay is a trademark of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google Pay is a trademark of Google LLC. Samsung Pay is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
