Don't wave your debit or credit card around like it's the golden ticket that gets you into Willie Wonka's or you might find yourself more like Charlie Bucket and co than you imagined (cabbage soup anyone?)

If you lose it or it gets stolen, report it immediately. Even if you think it’s probably hidden somewhere and you don’t want to have to wait for a new one to arrive by post, report it anyway. If it’s used fraudulently by someone else, if the loss hasn’t been reported you may find yourself at best doing some embarrassing explaining and at worst, shelling out yourself.

Don’t write your PIN down. Keep it to yourself and be careful that nobody’s checking it out over your shoulder when you use the machine.

Don’t keep your chequebook and your cheque guarantee card together. If they’re both stolen, you could have your entire account cleaned out.

Although Push doesn't wish to tar all shopkeepers with the same suspicious brush, if your local cornershop asks if you need cashback, say no - unless you urgently need some readies and are positive there’re no working cash machines in a several-mile radius. It’s all too easy to sink into a cashback-happy hole by saying yes each time you shop without ever having to look at your waning bank balance. But when you do check the figures, or the bailiffs come round, it’ll be a nasty shock.

And never, ever, put your card behind the bar for a tab. You’ll end up drinking more than you intended and every pisshead in the bar will be putting their drinks on your slate. You’ll wake up feeling sick, skint and sorry.

• Staying friends with your bank
• Banks
• Debit, cash, cheque and credit cards

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