Quote from NihabaAshi:
My max is three credit card numbers memorized.
Yeah, but did you forget the names???
Seriously, what the banks tell you is good for something, but they will not tell you that simply there is no way you could protect a CC, if you actually intend to use it.
Right now I have access to 2-3 cards per day including everything, even ADDRESS. And I am not even in retail...
Annual credit report check: It is only good for checking who else is checking your report. Let's say if there is a collection agency, you might want to ask them... Otherwise once per year is just too rare occasion to check fraudulent activity...
Monthly statements: Much better. Most card have online access nowadays, so if you care, you can check your activity EVERYDAY, takes only a minute, and much faster to catch unathorized activity.
Changing numbers: It probably feels good for you, but I don't see the protection value. Your data can be compromised right after the change, so what did you achieve by changing??
Look, banks advise you this shit, because they don't want to tell you that your data is in god's hands and please cross your fingers. Credit cards are such a huge business anyway, that even with fraud it is a big moneymaker for them, so they just cover you for the losses...