COMMENT
Better Online Shopping

I have an aversion to real-life shopping, with all its standing or sitting around while your partner tries on a permutation of different outfits, or chasing after wild toddlers in a supermarket the size of Wales. On the other hand, I rather enjoy online shopping, which is a breeze if you have ultra-fast broadband in your quiet office up in the loft, as I do. Bliss!

Here are three things that make my online shopping sprees safer, cheaper and more rewarding:

1. Pay by credit card

As an anti-debt champion, it's odd that I should suggest paying by credit card instead of debit card, isn't it? Not at all - because you enjoy extra protection when you use a credit card, which debit cards simply don't provide.

You see, under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if you buy goods costing between £100 and £30,000 on a credit card, you can claim against the card issuer if something goes wrong. Even if you have only paid a small deposit on your credit card, you can claim a refund of the entire cost of the goods from the card firm. So, if the goods don't arrive, are damaged or faulty, your credit-card provider "wears the supplier's shoes" and must compensate you.

However, the law isn't very clear about purchases abroad and buying goods from non-UK websites, so tread a little more carefully here. Also, some credit cards offer an online fraud guarantee, Internet delivery protection and purchase protection, which are worth having if they are provided free of charge. See this article for more details.

Find your perfect plastic in our Credit Card centre.

2. Price-comparison websites

After convenience and a comfy chair, probably the main reason why I like to shop online is that Web prices are very competitive. A quick search on search engine Google usually throws up dozens of links to the item in question. However, it's easy to go one step further by using specialist price-comparison websites. These search anything from five to fifty other websites in order to find you the best deal. This article includes a list of my favourite 'shopbots', plus other popular shopping sites.

3. The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000

If you buy goods or services via the Internet, digital TV, mail order, catalogue, fax, or over the phone, you have a statutory seven-day 'cooling off' period, during which you have an unconditional right to cancel and receive a full refund. So, if you order goods online and then change your mind, you can cancel your contract within seven days and walk away. Note that some services are excluded, and it's debatable whether you could easily enforce this right outside of the UK, so bear this in mind. You can learn more in this guide from the Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry (DPEI) (formerly the DTI).

I found this law came in handy last year when I placed an online order for the wrong piece of hardware from a computing firm. I emailed the company the next day to amend my order, which it refused to do, claiming that the item had already been dispatched (which, as it turned out, was completely untrue). It took a strongly worded note to the firm's marketing director - reminding him of his firm's obligations under the above regulations - before my credit-card refund was processed!

> Check out the DPEI's guide to safe internet shopping here (PDF file), plus there's lots of general information about your consumer rights on the government's Consumer Direct website.

More: Get a 0% credit card in our Card centre | Save up for something special in our Savings centre.