Is it smart to hand over your email address and phone number for discounts?
Itβs a savvy shopper's favorite time of year: Discounts and deals as far as the eye can see.
Youβre probably like me β I donβt like paying full price. But is handing over your email address, phone number, or even more worth it for a coupon code? Like most things tech, it depends.
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Whatβs in the fine print?
Did you read it when you signed up? Yeah, I thought so. Itβs never too late to go back and check the terms and conditions. Here are some recent stats from Atlas VPN, which reviewed some of the most popular shopping apps.
βΎ 58% of the apps they reviewed shared names, home addresses, email IDs and phone numbers with third parties. (Thatβs code for anyone willing to pay enough.)
βΎ 25% shared device IDs or other unique identifiers for smartphones and tablets.
βΎ Roughly a third disclosed financial data, including purchase history and payment details.
βΎ 28% shared location data with βexternal sources,β whatever that means.
Things arenβt much better if youβre signing up for an email list, handing over your number for marketing texts, or becoming a βmember,β even when itβs free. Speaking of β¦
What about store loyalty cards?
Getting talked into signing up for a store loyalty program is easy. In exchange for a little info, you can score great deals on groceries, household items, you name it. But just like the other methods we discussed, youβre giving away a lot more than you think.
Each swipe of your loyalty card, phone number, or email address tells the store everything you bought, when you bought it, in what quantity, and at what price, along with your payment details. Pair that with downloading your storeβs app; they also know where you are.
βWho cares if my store knows what brands I like?β Fair enough, but the tracking goes far beyond that. Rewards cards store data, including your name, address, phone number, and credit and debit cards. Thieves can steal this information and create a fake identity for a crime spree.
The good news is there are simple ways around handing this over.
βΎ Use your office phone number as your loyalty number. If they need an email address, I give them a disposable one. (More on that below.)
βΎ Look for stores that donβt require loyalty programs for discounts, like Trader Joeβs and Walmart.
βΎ Donβt forget physical coupons. Most grocery stores have a coupon section on their website where you can print, snip and hand in.
βΎ Whatever you do, never give them your Social Security number or driverβs license number.
βΎ Ask for the discount anyway. Cashiers usually have a code to charge the digital price without you needing to have a loyalty app or code.
βΎ If all else fails, smile and ask the person behind you, βHey, mind if I use your card?β Be polite, and I bet youβll get a yes.
And hey, if all else fails, consider whether saving $1.25 is worth it for your data. Iβm willing to bet itβs not.
Do it the privacy-first way
Remember how often sites used to ask you to answer a question to prove your identity? Thieves caught on, and now your bank has safer ways of ensuring itβs you than providing your motherβs maiden name.
My advice back then is the same now: Fudge it. (If you ever are asked to answer a personal question when creating a log-in, make something up β as long as you can remember what you said later.)
For coupons, loyalty cards and all the rest, that means setting yourself up with a burner email address and phone number. I encourage you to keep your real contact info closer to the vest.
Burner email addresses are disposable and can be used in place of your primary.
βΎ Temp Mail provides a temporary, anonymous and disposable email address. You donβt need to register for the free version. Remember that the service doesnβt automatically delete your temporary email address (thatβs up to you), and you canβt send emails. Emails are stored for about two hours before theyβre automatically deleted.
βΎ 10MinuteMail is another popular option you can also use to send emails. As the name suggests, the email and address are deleted in 10 minutes. If you receive an important message you donβt want to lose, you can forward it to another email address. Thereβs no need to provide personal information to get started, which is a nice bonus.
If youβre an Apple iCloud+ subscriber, you get access to one of my favorite Apple features: Hide My Email. It creates unique, random email addresses that forward to your inbox. You can create as many addresses as you want and reply to messages.
βΎ Go to Settings and tap your Apple ID.
βΎ Go to iCloud > Hide My Email > Create New Address.
βΎ Follow the onscreen instructions, and youβll get a new email address you can manage from iCloud settings.
Here are options for getting a burner phone number, if you need one.
Keep your tech-know going
My popular podcast is called βKim Komando Today.β Itβs a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.
PODCAST PICK:House cleaning robots, bank robocall scams & Google's Santa fail
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Check out my podcast βKim Komando Todayβ on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.
Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, βKomando.β
Learn about all the latest technology on theΒ Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website.Β