Credit Card & Travel Tips June 5
Going overseas with plastic in your pocket is the safest and more secure way to travel. Carrying cash can turn into a disaster if your wallet is stolen or you accidentally forget and leave your purse in the back of a taxicab.
Traveler’s checks used to be the preferred way to move money across borders when hopping from country to country on vacations and holidays, but nowadays many hotels and other establishments no longer accept them. Plus, if you are planning an extended visit – or you have the misfortune of getting sick and having to stay longer or spend more money in an emergency than originally anticipated – credit cards offer the fastest access to funds.
But before heading off to foreign countries with nothing but a credit card, be sure that yours works where you are going. The easiest way o do this is to talk to the bank that issued the card. They can tell you what banks in the country you are visiting also service those kinds of cards, for example, and whether yours will work in the ATM machines in the place you are going to be.
Card companies also have special tactics and procedures to help protect you from card or identity theft while traveling. Yours may be able to send you email alerts, for instance, if there is suspicious activity like large purchases on your card. You should also make photocopies of your credit cards – including both the front and back side of each card – for safekeeping. In case you lose your card you will have all the important information on the photocopy. Store one photocopy in a safe place such as the hotel safe, and leave another copy with a trusted friend or family member back home. If you have a problem your friend will have a backup copy of the card and that can speed things up when it is time to cancel a lost card and request that a new one be sent to you.