Buy yourself some time online

Your career, commuting, childcare, cooking and cleaning are just a few of the many things that are fighting for your time and attention. It’s not an option to neglect one of them, but where do you get the time?

Your career, commuting, childcare, cooking and cleaning are just a few of the many things that are fighting for your time and attention. It’s not an option to neglect one of them, but where do you get the time? Believe it or not, the answer is your credit card. No, there isn’t a store yet where you can buy an extra day a week. But by using your credit card efficiently, you can save a lot of time on mundane tasks.

Save time on groceries

You don’t have to spend your valuable time queuing in super markets: online shopping is an effective time-saving strategy. The delivery fees are usually negligible because you’re not only saving time but also fuel costs or public transport fees. While you’re sitting at your computer and placing your order, you can breast feed your baby, keep an eye on the food to make sure it doesn’t overcook and choose your work clothes for the next day.

Stop wasting time shopping for kids’ clothes

Children grow so fast that it can start to feel as if you’re spending more time buying them new clothes then doing the laundry. Especially if your kids don’t enjoy going to a busy mall to get dressed and undressed about fifty times in a row, these days can be a downright nightmare that you just don’t have the time for. But with a credit card, you can skip the process and order children’s clothing from web shops. It’s easiest to stick to the home delivery departments of brands and shops you already know. Before leaving your details, it’s wise to see if you can find some user reviews and make sure that they offer a money back guarantee in case the product doesn’t meet your expectations.

Don’t stress out while booking your holidays

Holidays are not meant to increase your stress levels. So why would you run from travel shop to travel shop to compare different package holidays and calculate in a hurry whether it’s cheaper to book your flight, hotel or car hire separately? It’s much easier to compare your options in your browser at a time that’s convenient for you. Another benefit is that most travel agencies offer a discount for online bookings.

Don’t waste time worrying about safety

Before you leave your details on a website, you should make sure that the page is secure. Normally, web page addresses begin with the letters "http". Over a secure connection, the address displayed should begin with "https", with the s for secure. In addition to this, your browser will display a closed lock (different for each browser, but never in the web page display area). If you double click on this icon, you’ll see details of the site’s security. If a site passes these two simple tests, it’s safe to pay with plastic. And if you don’t use the “save my details” functionality that some shops offer, hackers won’t be able to get hold of your details.

If you use your details wisely, making large payments by credit card is actually safer than doing so straight out of your bank account. If, for example, you’ve booked a holiday with a travel company that is forced to close their doors, you can claim a refund from your credit card provider. This is because Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 states that both the credit card provider and the group that you’re buying something from are responsible for purchases costing between £100 and £30,000 in case something goes wrong.

Reduce your administration time

Keep track of every payment you make with your credit card. Every time you’re using a credit card, you’re building up debt which has to be repaid. Since most companies don’t charge interest if you pay off the balance within a month, you could be using their credit for free if you pay off your credit card in full on a monthly basis. But you don’t want to waste time keeping on top of multiple repayments, so don’t take out too many cards. Also, not having too much credit available reduces the temptation to spend more than you can afford. At all times, use your credit card wisely!

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