Travel Smart This Summer, Protect Your Cards
Summer is a time for visiting family and friends, going on missions trips, traveling to faraway destinations and dream vacations, or enjoying a wedding followed by a honeymoon. In short, there’s a lot of traveling going on during these few months.
It can be easy to get caught up in the trip planning and the awe and wonder of sight-seeing, but vigilance is a must when it comes to your credit cards. So how does a person protect their information when jet-setting around the world?
The Kansas City Star has a few good tips, and below are some of the highlights:
-Report lost or stolen cards immediately. Most misuse of your card(s) will occur within a few days, so time is of the essence.
-Memorize your PIN. It may seem like a no-brainer, but there are those unfortunate few who choose to write their PIN down and keep it in a “safe place” in their wallet. Choose an unobvious PIN (i.e. not your birthdate) and try to change it up for each different card.
-Check your card after transactions, particularly in busy locations like restaurants. This will help you ensure, first of all, that you didn’t leave it on the counter/table/floor and, second of all, that the employee helping you handed you the correct card.
-Keep track of your trash and receipts, particularly when they contain personal information and/or account numbers.
-There may be card restrictions for traveling overseas, so call your credit card issuer beforehand to be sure. This will also warn them to expect to see international charges on the card so it won’t be a red flag.
Overall, traveling with credit cards in tow are just like traveling with cash in tow. Keep it close to the vest and use common sense. Your travels will be happier, and your credit report will thank you for it.
