Journeying with Credit Cards
When you travel you should definitely take credit cards with you. Even when you travel abroad. It might be a good idea to let your card company or bank know about the date and place you’ll be going. In these days identity theft is such a problem, that if your card issuer finds out uncommon spending habits they may grow suspicious. They might block charges on your card to protect you from fraud. You know, like a number of charges from Rome when you are living in San Diego. Notifying your card issuer isn’t required, however it’s a great way to protect yourself and assure that you are able to use your credit card on your travel.
You should go on your vacation with just some of charge cards plus your ATM card. You shouldn’t take a whole pocket full of cards at risk, but you need to have some different type of card. It’s also advisable to give prepaid credit cards a try. If something is going wrong and one card doesn’t work, you’ll have a backup.
Another thing is the acceptance. There are some places only accept Visa; some other only accept MasterCard. Pick one or two of each and leave your other cards at home. American Express may say “Don’t go away without it,” but there are numerous places that won’t accept their card. It’s good to have it, however it’s also good to know the limits. If two of you travel as a couple, consider carrying several credit cards. This will get you even more alternatives.
If you rent a car, sometimes car rental companies will make a huge charge on your account at the beginning as a deposit, maxing out your credit limit. Your back up cards will make sure you always have a card you can use. It’s wise to charge the car on a credit card that will cover collision damage waiver. That’ll save you lots of bucks.
Credit card issuers now have started charging overseas transaction fees. Visa and MasterCard have billed a 1 percentage fee for long times, however today numerous banks that issue the card also charge a 1-2 percent abroad transaction fee in addition to that. Ask your card issuer or bank. There are some cards which don’t charge you with any fees. As of this writing, Capital One Cards don’t charge fees, so it may be a good idea to apply for one of those.
Try to avoid that foreign vendors charge that bill for you in bucks. At first view it looks nice, but you’ll probably end up paying more. The amount of bucks you’re billed may be at a miserable exchange rate, a good deal worse than you’d get with your credit card at any currency exchange or ATM, and you’re card company will still likely charge you a foreign transaction fee.
In fact, credit cards now are accepted in more and more places. But there are still a lot of little guest houses that don’t accept plastic, some small restaurants and vendors too. Last not least in some less developed countries it’s only advisable to pay in cash. If you want to pay with your credit card, they may bill an additional 3-5 percent to make up for the fees that they’re billed. So use those plastics for travel, but change enough bucks and get ready to pay cash in numerous places too.