mirandap

I asked my bank what to do if I lost my bank card while travelling and this lady suggested that I get a temorary card AND a replacement and just use the temp. If I loose it then I have my back up! The replacement stays inactive until you use it and then the temp is useless. This way you don't have to worry about getting it sent over or dealing with banks...
Any other silly tips you've stumbled across?

GSteed

Good idea. Be sure you know how to activate 2nd card from foreign country.

PLMN

I'm glad you started this thread. Ever since I heard the following I wanted to mention it.

If you plan on taking more than one CREDIT/CHARGE card on your trip, take one with NO balance on it. If you MUST take a cash advance while on your trip, take the advance on the card with NO balance AND THEN DO NOT USE THE CARD AGAIN FOR ANY PURCHASES, ETC. This way when you get home you will find it much easier to pay off that amount.

One of my bankers clued me in. I had gone in to pay off a couple of my credit cards and I mentioned that it was quite annoying trying to pay off the cash advance portion of the card because any payments you send them are NOT credited to the cash advance portion untill the purchase portion is paid off. The interest rate on cash advances I believe is the same on all cards and from what I have been told is not negotiable (sp?) like the rest of the card.

(Oh,and hold the posts about not paying off your credit card balance each month. I realize that is the much smarter way to do things, but sometimes I just don't want to be that smart I guess.)

mikemo

Use only your ATM for cash - lots cheaper and better exchange rates.
M
PS I have a V and MC from USAA which I keep separate overseas.

platzman

I have this paranoia about the ATM eating the card, therefore I only use ATMs outside banks that are open, presumably so they can fetch the card for me. Correct? or crazy idea??

ira

Hi Platzman,

> I only use ATMs outside banks that are open, presumably so they can fetch the card for me. <

Well, it is more likely that you will get your card back.

wandrlst

Watch the ATM fees, too. Though I had more than enough in my account, for some reason one of the ATMs I used was not giving me the amount I requested. I kept decreasing the amount until I got the cash. When I got home, I found I was charged $1.50 not only for the cash transaction, but for each decline, too!

wondering

we had the same problem with paying for unexplained declines all over italy! watch out for those! those fees for everytime we tried added up! i had forgotten until now to make am express pay for them as it was their fault!!!!!

clevelandbrown

Wnderlst and Wondering,
I had understood, and it has been my experience, that the ATM owner in Europe does not charge a fee for use of the ATM. Were these multiple $1.50 charges imposed by your card issuer? That, along with the apparently common practice of imposing a surcharge on the conversion rate, might be something to look at in choosing a bank.

lincasanova

worst thing i have seen in person.
friend tries to retrieve 200$ from atm in syntagma plaza athens.
atm goes forward, spits out receipt saying she has finished the operation.
but no cash ever came out.
however, the receipt said it had been authorized and finalized.
seems money got stuck in slot?

luckily, this bank has help line phone right there next to atm.
and fortunately my friend speaks perfect greek.

but there was no guaranteee they would believe her story.. they would have to count money left in machine after weekend (this was a sat.), compare recepts, etc. and let her know.
she called every day and wrote down name of each person she talked to.

at the time, they had wanted her to try to do the ame operation again. but we were afraid to.
we were also afraid the next person coming in to machine would get her money that was "stuck" and hadn't come out.

well, one brave soul decided to try her own atm card for 20$ and it seemed to work for her. but we put an "out of order" sign on machine and a few days later, the bank reinstated her account with the 200$ that had never really been released.
can't imagine if this would ever happen to me and i had not much money to deal with on a trip.

so, maybe it is not bad idea to 1 carry more hidden cash on body
2) go to open banks for atm when possible.

Lee4

Here's a little tip that my husband and I use on our trips: We usually pay with our check/debit card when we can (and also have one credit card we take on trips). When we use the debit card in stores--drugstores, grocery stores, etc--we use the "cash back" option to get an extra $20 or $40 (or whatever the amount offered on the debit machine), if we need some extra $. The clerk gives us our money and we're on our way, without having to use an ATM or go to a bank.

ira

And you hope that no one gets your card number and PIN and wipes out your bank account.

Using a debit card for anything other than getting cash from ATMs is dangerous.

ira

Come to think of it, they don't need your PIN.

Budman

When I went to Ireland, I had the VISA portion of my ATM debit card disabled. If I lost the card, it could not be used without the PIN.

tropo

Thomas Cook used to have a system called, "Travel Card", where you inject the amount of money you want to use overseas with a Thomas Cook Branch, then they supply 2 cards, with different PIN, but both cards connected to the one account. You activate the cards at any Bank ATM (visa) before leaving to go overseas, to ensure it is operating. The cards can ONLY BE USED to obtain cash from any Visa ATM, not for credit. When overseas.....if one card is stolen or lost...no worries, forget it, and pull the other card which will have a different PIN. The stolen or lost card is of no use whatsoever.
When you return home, if you still have money in the account, take it to the nearest Thomas Cook outlet, and they will refund the balance.
I believe, Travelex, now has the same Travel Card operation, but they went one step further, by allowing a relative back home to top up the account whilst your overseas.
It makes a lot of sense for one partner to have 1 card and the other partner the 2nd card.

Lee4

Isn't is lovely how people try to give tips and someone always comes along to slam them in some way? For those of us who use debit cards, I think it goes without saying that we're careful with them, just as we are with credit cards, cash, etc. When using my debit card in London, I had to have my PIN number anytime I used the card as a debit card (and I sure didn't broadcast my # while punching it in). If I had to use it as a credit card or if I used any credit card at all, I ALWAYS had to show my ID before they ran the card. I wish more US businesses would adopt this practice.

It's always possible to be the target of pickpockets and thieves--that's why it pays to be vigilent and careful with our belongings while traveling. It also goes without saying that bad things can happen sometimes, no matter how careful you were.

FromAtlanta

I don't have a credit card - but I do have a Visa Check card. I use it all the time and never had a problem. (I check my bank statements every day online) - I heard it was "dangerous" - but really, I don't see it any more dangerouse than losing your credit card. I mean, they never check your ID at stores, and anybody could use it for online purchases etc.
I am extremely careful ... but one time I did see something charged to my account that I didn't authorize. I called my bank and it was taken care of in a very timely and professional matter.

For people who don't have credit cards, it is great!

(Lee4, that was a great tip! I do that myself. )

Lee4

FromAtlanta--that's a great point you mentioned about checking your bank card on-line. My husband does that too, so you are right about how it's easy to find out if any bogus charges were made. A great tip from one Southerner to another

Budman

I check all my accounts on line also, but how's that going to help you if you lose your check card (visa) and somebody wipes out your checking account while you are on vacation? Eventually you will get the money replaced, but it would be a hassle.

If you lost your credit card, they couldn't wipe out your checking account, and you would have plenty of time to dispute the charges. If you lost your debit card, they couldn't get any of your funds unless they knew your PIN.

I still think you are much safer with a debit card with a PIN to get cash (visa/mastercard disabled), and credit card for hotel/rental car/purchases.

Katharine22

I know this is an age-old topic, but wanted to let everyone know something new my beloved bank is doing now. Beginning Sept. 1 (we leave Sept. 2), they are charging a $2 fee each time I use someone else's ATM AND a 4% fee for international ATM withdrawals. I verified with the bank that they would charge both fees on each transaction.

I am going to use another bank for money for the trip, but I wondered if anyone else's banks have these policies.