Money While Traveling
Everyone needs some money when they head out on a trip, whether it be across the state or across the Atlantic Ocean. Especially when it comes to credit cards, there are several things to make sure of when preparing for your trip.
Take your major credit cards along, MasterCard, Visa, and American Express. Make sure they are all credit cards, and not just debit cards. Many locations are more likely to require a credit card as opposed to a debit card. Also, you will want to leave all your local store credit cards at home, which will just weigh your wallet down.
You may want to notify your credit card company or companies before a trip if you will be gone for an extended period or if you are traveling a long distance. They may delay you if they are unaware of your travel. The unfamiliar spending patterns might cause them to suspect that there is fraudulent activity on the card. Additionally, they will be able to explain the services they can provide to you while you are on your trip.
You would be surprised at how your credit card company can help you prepare for a trip…
- You can arrange to pay bills that will come due while you are gone.
- They will be aware that you will be making charges from another country.
- They will be able to give you an idea of how acceptable their credit card is in that particular country.
- They can verify acceptance at certain foreign locations.
- They’ll be able to see if your PIN number will work in the countries you are visiting. They can also issue you another PIN number if your current PIN is unacceptable to the foreign bank’s system.
- They can explain cash advance, ATM, foreign purchase and foreign exchange rate policies and fees.
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Use your credit card when traveling, and you will probably get a better exchange rate than changing the currency on your own. Additionally, you wont risk your safety by carrying and displaying large amounts of cash. Just be sure to keep track of how much you spend…it is easy to lose track with the exchange rates.