BigRuss

<<Big Russ, a prepaid travel card looks just like a regular credit card such as Visa. It is in fact a debit card that holds a balance in a currency such as USD or Euro.

I imagine that some hotels and retailers accept Visa even in the USA.>>

Thank you for telling me what I already know. The question was about RESERVING hotels with such cards and that is not necessarily universal.

travellinbackpackers

Thanks for all the replies.
Still haven't 100% decided what form to use yet.
I'm tossing up against a prepaid travel card and just using my regular ATM card.
The prepaid travel im coming to terms with accepting that there may be a cost to withdraw from ATM's and they give you a crappy exchange rate but if the exchange rate was to drop by the end of next year for the USD to say 90C then the crappy exchange rate they give me in the beginning would be worth it but then again who can guess the FOREX rate i would be a millionaire if i could lol. Anyway have any problems booking hotels over the internet with prepaid travel cards??
If i take my regular ATM i will be at the mercy of the exchange rate...its all a gamble!

MonicaRichards

You're kind of always at the mercy of the exchange rate when you think about it. I'd go with ATMs and credit cards. Pre paid cards are just not a good idea.

justineparis

Most hotels want a credit card number to book online. A few small places still go on honor system.. but most want a Credit card.

mistyschwab

OK ... so here's another horror story I've heard (told by the seasoned teachers that took my kid's Spanish class to Spain and recommended travel cards) - there's some scam; I think it's called skimming, maybe. When a card, credit or debit, is inserted into an ATM the account identity can be stolen. If you've told your bank foreign activity on your card is legit you could be in for a lot of trouble.

Please don't judge me by my last two posts ... I'm actually a fun person to hang with.

MonicaRichards

Card skimmers exist here in the US too. Just look at the ATM or gas station thing or whatever to make sure it doesn't have anything that looks extra glued to it. That's what they do, they glue an extra piece to the front of the slot that takes your card and use it to skim the info off of the card. This is more usually found on gas station pumps because they're easier for the crooks to access to get the gizmo on.

MickeyChase

The gas station thing scares me. Never heard of that before...

mistyschwab

Just sayin' it's an endorsement for using a preloaded moneycard so there's no identity to steal and you only lose what's on the card.

Just sayin'.

justineparis

Mistyschwab, My ATM card was skimmed and drained of 500 bucks,,... HERE in lovely old Victoria Cananda,, lol It can happened anywhere and its not the least bit "new"... its an old scam and everyone should watch for it anywhere. I lost nothing of course, my bank simply replaced the money...

I see no endorsement for a preloaded card, just fear of what you aren't familiar with..

StCirq

mistyschwab, if your ATM card gets hacked, you don't lose a thing. If your preloaded rip-off card is stolen, you lose it all, including all the extras you paid for the silly thing.

suze

<just using my regular ATM card.>

I don't understand why that wouldn't be your first choice method... using a regular bank ATM card at an ATM machine to withdraw local currency as you go.

Preloaded cards have loads of extra fees and are just not that safe.

You could use TCs as a backup/emergency plan, but know you'd have to cash them at a bank, not try to spend directly in a business.

mistyschwab

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skimming
Skimming is the theft of credit card information used in an otherwise legitimate transaction. The thief can procure a victim's credit card number using basic methods such as photocopying receipts or more advanced methods such as using a small electronic device (skimmer) to swipe and store hundreds of victims’ credit card numbers. Common scenarios for skimming are restaurants or bars where the skimmer has possession of the victim's credit card out of their immediate view.[10] The thief may also use a small keypad to unobtrusively transcribe the 3 or 4 digit Card Security Code which is not present on the magnetic strip. Call centers are another area where skimming can easily occur.[11] Skimming can also occur at merchants such as gas stations when a third-party card-reading device is installed either out­side or inside a fuel dispenser or other card-swiping terminal. This device allows a thief to capture a customer’s cred­it and debit card information, including their PIN, with each card swipe.[12]
Instances of skimming have been reported where the perpetrator has put a device over the card slot of an ATM (automated teller machine), which reads the magnetic strip as the user unknowingly passes their card through it.[13] These devices are often used in conjunction with a miniature camera (inconspicuously attached to the ATM) to read the user's PIN at the same time.[14][15] This method is being used very frequently in many parts of the world, including South America, Argentina,[16] and Europe.[citation needed] Another technique used is a keypad overlay that matches up with the buttons of the legitimate keypad below it and presses them when operated, but records or wirelessly transmits the keylog of the PIN entered. The device or group of devices illicitly installed on an ATM are also colloquially known as a "skimmer". Recently-made ATMs now often run a picture of what the slot and keypad are supposed to look like as a background, so that consumers can identify foreign devices attached.
Skimming is difficult for the typical cardholder to detect, but given a large enough sample, it is fairly easy for the card issuer to detect. The issuer collects a list of all the cardholders who have complained about fraudulent transactions, and then uses data mining to discover relationships among them and the merchants they use. For example, if many of the cardholders use a particular merchant, that merchant can be directly investigated. Sophisticated algorithms can also search for patterns of fraud. Merchants must ensure the physical security of their terminals, and penalties for merchants can be severe if they are compromised, ranging from large fines by the issuer to complete exclusion from the system, which can be a death blow to businesses such as restaurants where credit card transactions are the norm.

just sayin'

justineparis

Er , yes we know what skimming is, but as we said, you lose nothing by using your ATM debit card ( I don't use a credit card to take money out , that's never smart) , while with a preloaded card there are no safe guards if you lose it or it is stolen , right ?

Also , don't know how long its been since you have been to Europe, but we found most places use hand held devices they bring to the table now in cafes etc to scan your card.. so your card is never out of your sight.

kaylahart7

We went to Thailand (know its not Europe) but we had a prepaid travel card from ANZ which was locked and had minimal fees with a back-up card in case of theft or losing it. It also enabled us to add more money later in the trip. But when we were over there the exchange rate was much higher than what we had on our card so we ended up using our Visa Debit card which had a much higher exchange rate and the fees were next to nothing. I think whatever you decided will be fine - just do your research, test your cards and be happy!!! You're travelling

Watzmann

I have no idea of Australian direct banks, yet the bank/the account I use at home/my daily bank account at a german direct bank (in this case, DKB-cash, but others offer the same) comes automatically with a free visa card that allows me to withdraw money worldwide for free at any ATM with Visa symbol (virtually all of them).
I simply use the same credit card at home and when traveling, no hassle thus far, no fees charged.
Shouln't there be a similar offer available at an Australian (direct) bank?

kybourbon

>>>Big Russ, a prepaid travel card looks just like a regular credit card such as Visa. It is in fact a debit card that holds a balance in a currency such as USD or Euro.<<<

Prepaid travel cards are simply modern day travelers checks just like debit cards are modern day checks. You get the same lousy rates/fees with prepaid cards as you do with TCs. Fee to buy, fee to load, fee to use, bad exchange rate, fee to cash in when finished traveling.

I only encounter people from Australia using these travel cards(or teenagers from the US that can't have their own bank cards). I think their banking rules for ATM's/credit cards must be different from other countries making ATM cards not as easy to use/get (?) or tacking on fees that other countries don't.

I met an Australian at my hotel in Rome and we decided to go to dinner together. We both needed cash and went to an ATM. I used my credit union ATM card (no problem) and she attempted to use her preloaded travel card. No success. She tried again. Still no success. She was very upset as she was being charged a fee for every attempt.

Joy2

I have experience with travelers checks.

Our first trip to Italy Four years ago I bought American express Travellers checks. (I do not have a debit card). My first stop was Rome and no one would accept travel checks. Italy does not have many American express stores but we were lucky Rome did but Florence and Venice does not. (Unless this has changed in 4 years.) So I had to cash in all of my checks before departing Rome and carried cash the rest of our trip. I was very disappointed with American Express as they charged in Rome a hefty fee to cash them in. I didn't want any problems so I payed the fees. This was such a nuisance I wouldn't advise getting travelers checks.

We went to 3 or 4 banks in Rome and had no luck with cashing them. Matter of fact my hotel told us which bank we should go to and we still had no luck even with our passport.

justineparis

Joy , my bank does not even sell travellers checks anymore.. they really are a pain in the patooty as you learned.