Travel Using the Best Credit Cards But Protect Yourself

- Image via Wikipedia
We live in New Brunswick Canada and found out the hard way that most places don’t accept cash alone. They want a credit card imprint in case we do something that cash won’t cover. Perhaps something that shows up after we are gone. Heck we couldn’t even rent a car when our car broke down because all we had was cash.
If you consider going on vacation you should definitely plan to take credit cards with you. Especially when you travel abroad. It might be wise to let your card company or bank know about the date and place you’ll be travelling. In these days identity theft is such a problem, that if your card company finds out uncommon spending patterns they may get suspicious. They might block charges on your card to protect you from fraud. You know, like a lot of charges are from Barcelona when you stay in Boston. Notifying your bank isn’t required, but it’s a good option to secure yourself and assure that you can use your card on your trip.
You should go on your vacation with only a couple of charge cards as well as your ATM card. You don’t want to have a whole wallet full of credit cards at risk, but you need to have more than one type of card. It’s also wise to try to use prepaid credit cards. If something happens and one card can’t be used, you can use another one.
The acceptance is another thing you should be familiar with. Some places only accept Visa; other vendors only take MasterCard. Take one or two of each and leave the rest at home. American Express may say “Don’t travel without it,” but there are many places that won’t take their Amex Cards. It’s good to have these card, but it’s also good to be familiar with the limits. If two of you are traveling as a couple, look at taking different credit cards. This will get you even more.
Whenever you want to rent a car, sometimes car rental companies will charge your card with a large amount at the beginning as a deposit, maxing out your credit limit. Your back up cards will make sure you always have a card you can use. It’s a good idea to charge the car on a card that comes with collision damage waiver. That can save you lots of bucks.
banks now have started charging overseas transaction fees. Visa and MasterCard have billed a 1 percentage fee for years, however nowadays several banks that issue the card also set up a 1-2 percent foreign transaction fee in addition to that. Check your card company or bank. There are some credit cards which don’t charge any fees at all. As of this writing, Capitol One Cards charge no fees, so it’s advisable to carry one of those.
Don’t let vendors in foreign countries charge that bill for you in dollars. At first glance it looks nice, but you’ll probably end up paying more. The dollar amount you’re billed may be at a bad exchange rate, a good deal worse than you’d get with your card at any ATM or currency exchange, and you’re card issuer will probably bill you a foreign transaction fee.
Most in fact, credit cards and prepaid credit cards as well are accepted in more places all over the world. But there are still a great number of little B&Bs that take only cash, some small restaurants and vendors too. Last not least in some countries that are less developed you may find you need to pay in cash. Whenever you would like to pay with your card, they will charge an extra amount of 3-5 percent to make up for the fees that they’re charged. So take those credit cards for travel, but exchange plenty of money and be prepared to pay hard currency in most of places too.

