When spring comes around we all undergo some type of catharsis: cleaning the house top to bottom, an outdoor sport, going through one’s wardrobe to donate or sell… But one thing few of us ever do is check to make sure everything with our accounts is well. I’ve never done it and I’ve been looking at my accounts to see what things I could use to check on to bring everything to date. So, I’m sharing.
As right now there are about 175 members of the Credit Union who still insist on mailed statements, that means that just about everyone reading this has eStatements, so you have
Your personal data
When was the last time you gave OAS FCU your address, email address, or phone number? It’s a good start. To update your data with OAS FCU, log in to Online Banking and under “I want to” you will find Change My Mailing Address; there you can update not just your mailing address but your email and phone numbers.
Security questions
I’m coming clean: until this month I’d never changed my security questions with OAS FCU, shame on me. Well, at least I did it. If you’re as bad as me, or it’s been over a year since you last changed them, there’s no better time than the present. To change these questions and answers, go to Profile and select Change My Security Settings. While you’re at it, why not have a go at your password, too? It’s the option right about the security question under Profile.
eAlerts OAS FCU’s electronic alerts are such a gift to us members. They allow you to receive an email when something you have defined as unusual happens in an account. In my case I want to be alerted when there are debits over a certain amount.
Why not check and create one that suits you? To create your own alert, on the account summary main page, on the far-right column of each your sub-accounts (regular share, share draft, etc.), you will see “eAlerts”. Click that and you will come to the screen you see below. As you see, setting up an alert is super easy and it’s a great security measure that allows you to follow up more closely on what happens to your account.
Your money
Now it’s time to really check what’s been going on in your account lately. I’m the kind who tends to look at her OAS FCU account once a month -I know it’s wrong, but I have very little activity as I live outside the US- but here at home in Finland I revise everything that happens in my account twice a month, and I check on my credit card activity once a month.
When I mean checking on the account, I don’t mean seeing if such and such payments or
One of the reasons this is important for me is Google Play. Sometimes, while on my phone, I will download an app, try something for a couple of months, and then I forget to cancel it. This type of thing happens to many people, and not just with apps.
I encourage you to examine the last 3 months of activity on your account. I say three because many services don’t charge monthly but quarterly and checking three months will give you a better chance of detecting older debits. Look for the following types of charges:
- Subscriptions to services that, like me, you only meant to try one month but then forgot to get rid of them;
- Recurring charges for apps you no longer use;
- Subscriptions to magazines and newspapers that you don’t read;
- Small insurance policies for appliances or devices that are no longer worth insuring;
- Subscriptions to things you don’t use: the gym is #1 on that list for many people.
Cancelling
Years ago, when I tried to change mobile phone carriers, I called my then current company, went through one of those menus full of options and, when I selected “I wish to cancel my contract”, I would be put on hold for five minutes, and then the phone hung up on me. That happened twice. The third time I wised up and selected that I wanted to add services; when they answered in 30 seconds, they were not pleased to hear I wanted to cancel, but I got what I needed done.
If you’ve never run into this type of guerilla tactics when trying to get rid of a company, be aware they are more common than now and here is my advice to protect yourself. When you’re calling to cancel, start by getting the full name of the person you’re talking to, and the date. Then cancel the product, service, or subscription. It’s best to get the name first,
If you have trouble cancelling a service or sub on an app or website, what you can do is get the customer service email address, and send a message ordering the cancellation. Do not provide the debit card number or account number that is being debited, that isn’t safe. If you don’t have a client/customer number, give your mailing address, email address or phone number, whichever was used to get this service or product, so that they can find you and cancel.
Next month
If there’s something every employee of OAS FCU knows is that when a company says they’ve cancelled your subscription or service, that doesn’t always mean that they also cancelled the corresponding debit to your account. Keep an eye on your accounts. If necessary, create a phone or email reminder for whenever a company’s next charge would be due, so that you can check. If you get charged, contact the credit union, as you will be able to cancel the charge and make sure it doesn’t post again. You can contact the credit union at their main phone number or via email at ach@oasfcu.org.
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