You should definitely plan to take credit cards with you when you travel anywhere, no question about it.
It’s a good idea to let your credit card company or your bank know that you will be travelling plus tell them when and where you intend to go. Identity theft is really such a major concern these days that if your credit card company sees some unusual spending or spending patterns on your card then they may become suspicious. They might even block any charges going onto your card to protect you from fraud. An example would be a few charges appearing on your card for purchases in Vienna when you live on the Central Coast in NSW, Australia. Letting your card company know what you are doing is not a requirement but it certainly is a good idea to protect yourself from theft plus ensure that you can keep using your card whilst you are on your trip.
It is suggested that you travel with one or two of your charge cards in addition to your ATM card as you really don’t want to put a purse or wallet full of cards at risk but, at the same time, you do want to have more than one type of card on you in case another is not accepted. Also, if something happens to one of your cards and it can’t be used, you’ll have a backup.
Some places around the world will only take Visa or only take MasterCard or Amex. Choose one or two of each and leave the rest at home where you know that they are safer, well, safer at least. American Express may like to tell; you “Don’t leave home without it,” but there are many places that refuse to take AMEX. It may well be a good card to have but you also need to recognise its limits.
If two of you are travelling as a couple, you should consider carrying different credit cards between you which will provide you with even more options.
If you are planning to rent a car, some car rental companies will put a large charge on your card at the beginning of the rental period as a deposit often leaving you with substantially less available credit. Your back up cards will make sure that you are always able to use one of your cards. A hint to save you money on your hire car is to put the car on a card that will cover collision damage waiver.
Many credit card companies have started to add some international transaction fees. Visa and MasterCard have charged a one percent fee for several years but now some of the banks that issue the card have started to also add a one to two percent foreign transaction fee on top of that! Make sure that you check on this important detail with your bank or credit card company. There are still a few cards which don’t charge any fees at all.
Don’t let foreign vendors charge you in dollars as you’ll probably end up paying more than if it is charged in the local currency. The dollar amount that you get charged may well be at a really bad exchange rate which will, no doubt, be worse than you would be paying with your credit card or ATM. On top of that you’re card company will probably still charge you a foreign transaction fee.
Credit cards are accepted in more and more places all the time. In fact, places that do not accept hem are loosing business these days but there are still many little places such as B&Bs that take only cash as do some smaller restaurants. In some of the less developed countries, you may find you need to pay in cash more often. In these types of places, if you wish to pay by credit card, they may add three to five percent onto your bill to make up for the fees that they are charged. So, whilst it is a good idea to take your credit cards travelling, you will need to make sure that you change a suitable amount into local money and be still be prepared to pay cash in many places.
Have a great trip!
Recent Comments