There are many concerns attached to traveling with your credit card. The many everyday dangers of cashless transactions include the risk of identity theft and overspending, which you are more susceptible to when your guard is down on vacation and traveling to a foreign and exciting country.
You can’t do away with cashless transactions, so the best way to deal with these risks is to be prepared.
- You don’t necessarily need to get another kind of credit card for the trip. If you want to get one though it is best to look at your travel card options so you can just top it up instead of having a credit limit.
- Checking balances from time to time is smart, just so you are able to see if there is any spending that is out of place. This can be easily done with mobile banking apps. However, make sure that you place good security measures on your phone. You have to think of your phone as an extension of yourself when you are traveling. A lot of important personal information is stored in there, and it can be a disaster when placed in the wrong hands. Be careful of using Wi-Fi or hotel computers. They can retain or take information when hacked.
- If you intend to spend using your credit card you might as well get the most out of it. There are many credit cards that offer premium perks and rewards for using them. Some credit cards with travel rewards even provide perks like flight upgrades, no foreign transaction fees, and many more. Get familiar with what your card offers or what other cards are offering.
- Inform your card company of where you are going. I suggest doing this even for business trips, when you are not expecting to use your personal accounts. This can help in case of emergency. Even transactions in a different state can already be treated as a suspicious one, so call in and let them know. Also ask what information you can get about transactions placed in your destination, like currency exchange or bank branches and contact information.
- Know your daily limit. This is simple yet important information that can save you from overspending or from a potentially embarrassing situation when it’s time to get the bill.
At the end of the day, the important thing to realize is that your card is as good as cash. While cashless transactions are safer than carrying big amounts of money with you all the time, if you are not careful, you can lose even more with a card. Diligence and smart use is always the important thing to remember, not just when using it for travel, but also when using it in your daily life.
DO you have any more tips for cashless security when travelling? Comment below or tweet us @mscareergirl now!