It is a good idea to make purchases with your credit cards when you are traveling. First of all, you won't carry a lot of cash and therefore avoid robbery. Then, you will have substantial emergency fund. Many businesses, for example auto rentals require a credit card to leave a deposit. If your plastic is lost or stolen, you can take advantage of useful credit card travel insurances. So having a plastic can be useful and even necessary in trips. However, there are some pitfalls you should know about. You can avoid them if you take simple precautions.
Before waving goodbye and going to your new destination, make two photo copies of all of your credit cards, both front and back. Then add to this list phone numbers of the credit card issuers in case if your plastics are lost or stolen. Leave one photocopy with a close friend, and take the other one with you. Thus you can block your account immediately if something happens with your plastics.
However, be careful: you should keep your photocopy in a very safe place. Otherwise you can become a victim of credit fraud. Anyone who has access to your luggage can find out your credit card numbers and expiration dates. He or she can steal this information and use it for their own financial gain, ordering goods via the telephone or Internet.
If you go on vacations with your spouse, make sure to take individual credit cards. The reason is simple. Many families have joint credit cards. Even though each person has their own plastic with only his or her name on it, both people share the same account. If one person loses the credit card and blocks the account, the other person's will face with credit card cancellation. It can be a nightmare situation to realize that you are far away from your home without any money. If each traveler has his or her own separate credit card, you will have an emergency fund.
Check the credit limits and expiration dates of all plastics you are going to take on vacations. You could spoil your perfectly planned trip if you suddenly discover that your credit card has expired or you have maxed out your credit limit. If you assume you will not have enough money, then you can take several plastics or eliminate your debt.
Contact your credit company and tell them that you are going on vacations. Otherwise you can face with automatic credit card deactivation. Some credit companies block plastics that are used more than 6 times in one day. Thus they try to prevent using stolen credit cards. It can take several days to have your credit card reactivated.
If you realize that your wallet or purse is missing and your credit cards have disappeared - don't panic. Credit companies provide special emergency services that will help you replace your plastic and get necessary cash. Just call your credit card issuer (customer assistance service is available 24/7) and tell them your about your situation. Typically, a replacement card will be issued within several days. While you are waiting for a new plastic, you can ask your credit company to help you out with small sums drawn either from your credit line or from your bank account.
