janyceh

I wanted to make a prepayment on my Capital One account as we will be in England when our payment is due. Currently, we have a zero balance. No, no, no they say. No prepayment allowed-must call or have someone else make payment.

How do you fodorites handle credit card payments when away? I am hesitant to use the internet from Europe.

Help!

MelJ

I was thinking about the same thing, because we pay our bills by bank debit online and I don't want to do that in Europe--even deleting cookies doesn't make me feel safe when using an internet cafe.

So I'm going to write checks, stamp the envelopes and leave them with my daughter to mail.

Debs

Are you able to schedule future payments to your cards? Every card has a different policy, but in some instances you're able to schedule up to either 4 or 6 paynents in advance of their due date. You just pick the date you want the payment to post and that's all there is to it. We do this with cc payments + mortgage while away and it works quite well.

StuDudley

All of our cards (three - two Citi & 1 United Mileage Plus)) are automatically paid on a specific date each month - we never have to do anything. Call Capital One & see if that can be set up with them.

Stu Dudley

greg

For this type of situation, I have done it two ways.

The pull method. Use auto-withdrawal process by authorizing financial companies to directly withdraw from my bank account.

The push method. I have also used online bill payment option of my checking account to send payments to financial companies using estimated amounts. The amounts I chose were greater than the minimum payment but less than the lower end of the estimated charge for "no overpayment" allowed companies.

Since I use one of these two methods for all my accounts, I know I am using proven methods. If you do not already have one of these setups, don't use it for the first time when going abroad. There can be setup errors, and you don't want to solve problems from abroad.

I also turn on account activity alarms to send me email notifications, so I can confirm fund transfer activities without having to log into my bank accounts.

lola618

Do you do online banking? Set up a payment to be sent directly from your bank. You can set it up now to be sent while you're away.

I do that when I'm going to be away.

Bridget

welch

We have Capital One and travel with our own laptop. Don't know if this would make you feel more secure.
We made payments every few days, if we were getting near our limit, as we keep the limit low on this card and only use for travel.
It worked well as long as we took into consideration the time difference and when the payment would be applied.

bob_brown

I always know the date of my next payment before I leave home.
Then I find a computer somewhere, check my balance, and pay the bill electronically.

Why are you hesitant to use Internet in Europe? It knows no geographical boundaries. A hacker from anywhere in the world can get at you just as well, if not better, when you are home. In fact, if you use a cable Internet service from home, your IP address is fixed and more vulnerable
than if you are roving around.

Ever read the Cuckoo's Egg by
Cliff Stoll? Interesting true story of a computer whiz in California who began tracking a hacker in Germany who was breaking into Department of Defense web sites as far away as Japan. He even broke into CIA's computers. So being at home is certainly no guarantee of security.

I remember reading the book when it first came out. I had a Unix computer in my office at the time, and it had every vulnerability that the hacker exploited. Fortunately I was a very tiny potato and of zero interest to most hackers.

I quickly got help and changed the operating system to a more secure version.

PatrickLondon

Does your bank not have phone transactions? That's how I would pay my bills when outside the country.

Susan33

I have a Capital One card and have been overpaying before I leave the country.

Most credit card companies that I use will only allow a negative balance for 3-months. My credit union allows 6-months.

I was running a negative balance with Capital One a couple of months ago and the 3-months was up and they sent me a check. About the same time, I chose to claim my rewards balance, so they sent me another check to cover that. They definitely do not want negatives balance.

I send a check a week or so before we leave and then check my Capital One account and my bank account to see if it has cleared. It has worked in the past, and I hope it works this time.

Margaretlb

I pay my Capital One accounts online. I do not use online banking per se, but have registered most of my credit card insdividually on the cc websites. To refister with Capital One, all you need is one of your checks in front of you so you can enter some of the codes - then you're good to go. It takes me probably 30 seconds to make a payment!

thursdaysd

Margaret - did you have to make arrangements with your bank as well, or just enter your bank info at Cap One? Thanks.

Susan33

It is me again. Janyceh asked about overpaying. Yes, she can overpay with a check but you can't do it online or with a rep. She could also setup auto pay if she has time before she leaves.

I do pay my bills online at home, but I'm not ready to start using the internet in a foreign country with my financial info.

I thought I was being careful with my financial info and one of my credit cards was being used several weeks ago in Italy and I won't be there until the Sept. 16.

robjame

Be very careful about overpaying...it may void the benefits which accompany your credit card. These benefits are accorded to you because you are buying on credit. A Visa representative warned me about the danger of this. It is probably why you were told "No, no, no".

Depending on your card, extra benefits that you might not be able to claim: waiving insurance when renting a car, out of country health insurance, flight/baggage insurance, purchase insurance.

ipod_robbie

On my citibank cc acct I have about 3 weeks from statement date till the payment is due. Once know the balance I can schedule the payment for any date in the future.

If you're concerned about someone hacking your pw at an internet cafe with a keystroke logger (and thereby gaining access to every other account with the same exact pw), then change your CO pw to something new for the short time you'll be away. At least that'll take what ever risk you feel exists and confine it even further.

janyceh

Thank you all for your input. I do pay on-line, but not automatically. My wonderful, trustworthy daughter will make the payment for me through my account. If she has a problem, she will let me know and I will follow-up by phone. This is the first time we have had such a problem.

We usually use our United card, but I prefer the Capital One for international use. That is something I learned from you foderites.

We leave Tuesday--the last few days before a long trip are always stressful--so much to do.

Jan

Margaretlb

thursday, you can set the entire thing up on capitalone.com. Just register at the website. Be sure to have a check in front of you as it will ask for the routing codes. Once you're registered you can set up your payment; you can even choose the date for the posting so you can set up you payment ahead of time. Works great.

Hagan

Margaretlb is correct, that's exactly what I do. In fact, I just scheduled our next payment for several weeks from now, as I will be away also. It's really so easy. Hope you see this and that you can use the info.

AJPeabody

All of the above methods will work. There is another, the personal method.

Walk into the branch you use and speak to the manager. Leave a check and the necessary information or payment coupon, even the one from a zero bill, with a request that is be entered on such-and-such date. Smile.

gracejoan3

Some people use the automatic payment system with their credit card companies. I do that sort of thing with all my utility companies.

I use online banking regularly. I am leaving on Wed. for a month stay in Paris. I have scheduled whatever checks to be paid before I return. I will have my laptop with me and could do any online banking, if needed, but it has all been taken care of now.

Of corse, you can do as mentioned. Write the checks and have a family member mail them when due.

Have a good trip.....