4 places you should not swipe your debit card

Breaking news such as the massive data breach at Experian or Target now seems common. Leaving aside the victims of actual fraud, I hear constantly from people who've had to swap out every debit and credit card, or whose cards were unilaterally replaced by their bank. This causes all sorts of problems.

Sometimes it makes you long for the days of cash. While cash is not practical for everything, there are very compelling reasons to consider it or other alternatives instead of those debit cards.

Of course, you also have to watch where you get your cash, too. Criminals are good at installing near-invisible skimmers on ATMs. These steal your card information and then a miniature camera over the keypad steals your PIN. It's everything a thief needs to drain your account.

Avoid out of the way ATMs in isolated areas. When you can, use ATMs in a restricted-access foyer. You should also hold your hand over the keypad when you enter your PIN. This blocks a camera from seeing what you're doing.

CREDIT OR DEBIT: What's best for consumers?

Now that you know how to safely get cash, here's where you should use it.

1. GAS STATIONS

ATMs aren't the only places criminals can install card skimmers. Gas stations are a favorite target for thieves. Last year, four men were arrested for allegedly stealing $2.1 million using skimmers at gas stations in the south. The skimmers were installed in the pumps and were even equipped with Bluetooth — which allowed the thieves to come by and extract the collected numbers and PINs wirelessly!

Samsung Galaxy S5 Smartphone is now on sale

The wait is over. The Galaxy S5, Samsung’s newest Android flagship smartphone, hits stores today.

Improving on last year’s Galaxy S4 with a slightly larger screen, speedier innards, an improved camera, and its own fingerprint sensor to rival Apple’s Touch ID, the S5 immediately becomes one of the top smartphones on the market today.

Where do I buy one?The phone is launching in 125 countries today, but stateside you can pick one up from any of the four major wireless carriers — T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, or AT&T — as well as Best Buy, RadioShack, and other retailers. If you don’t mind waiting for it to be shipped, Amazon.com is also a good option.

How much is it?Contract carriers are selling the Galaxy S5 for $199 with a two-year agreement. T-Mobile is offering the device at a $0 down, $27-a-month payment plan spread out across two years.

Sprint and AT&T also have similar $0-down payment plans, which allow customers to upgrade earlier than those in two-year service agreements. Verizon has a buy one, get one free promotion, though both purchasers must sign a new two-year contract, and must also be on the same plan. 

The last option is to just buy an unlocked Galaxy S5 to be used on prepaid services or without contract. You can grab one this way from places like Newegg.com or Amazon, but it’ll run you anywhere from $700 to $800.

Should I buy one?Our own David Pogue recently put the Samsung Galaxy S5 through its paces and found it to be a great and capable device with a very good camera and a very smart waterproof feature. The downside: The phone is unfortunately loaded with Samsung “junkware” and probably too many features you’ll never use. Luckily Android, and Samsung’s version called TouchWiz, are so customizable that much of the stuff you’ll never use can be hidden out of the way.

Be sure to read Pogue’s full review of the Galaxy S5 before deciding on whether or not it should be your next smartphone. Keep in mind that Samsung’s Galaxy phones are very popular, so unless you’re the patient type when it comes to getting your new toys (we are not), you might want to make your mind up soon before your neighborhood store runs out of stock.