Whether you’re worried about catching a seasonal cold or something more drastic like the worldwide panic over the H1N1 flu virus, you might want to rethink how you use your credit cards if you plan to stay healthy. You probably haven’t really thought about it, but the truth is that your credit cards can make you sick!

How Credit Cards Might Make You Sick

Credit cards aren’t special. There’s no deep dark secret behind them when it comes to your health. It’s just common sense. The more people that touch something, the bigger the risk there is of germs being present. Chances are that you aren’t the only person touching your credit cards (not to mention other items involved in your credit card transactions). You can take steps to be more cautious though, cutting down on your risks.

How to Stay Healthy When Using Your Credit Cards

Here are several things you can do to avoid getting sick when using credit cards:

1. Swipe your credit card yourself. — Don’t let other people handle your credit cards unless absolutely necessary. If you can swipe or scan the card yourself, do it.

2. Carry your own pen. — If you’ll have to sign for purchases, carry your own pen. You have no idea how many other people (ill or not) have handled a store pen before you.

3. Avoid directly touching key pads. — If you instead have to enter a PIN, try not to actually touch the key pad with your bear hands. Use the pen you brought, a napkin, or something else. Many people have probably used that touch pad before you during the day, and they could have left germs behind. This includes an ATM key pad when using your debit card like the St. George Visa Debit Card.

4. Shop online. — If you’re aware of a particular outbreak in your area, you might want to avoid crowded public places like stores as much as possible. You can do that and decrease your risks by doing some of your shopping online (a situation where your credit card actually protects your health).

5. Wash your hands. — If you must handle your credit cards, wash your hands as soon as possible afterwards. That way you’ll at least minimise your risk of transferring any germs from the card to your mouth or nose by way of your hands.

Simple changes in how you use your credit cards can make a big difference in keeping yourself healthy all year long, even when people aren’t worried about a specific medical outbreak. The only thing that should make you “sick” when using credit cards is the thought of paying high fees or interest. Exercise common sense and basic hygiene and you’ll keep yourself safer.