Originally Posted by
stut
The one caveat, though... If you are relying on an ATM to get cash, and it's a country where you can't get by on credit cards for small payments or, for example, the taxi from the airport, then make sure you know what to do if the bank decides to block your card.
(I have a very cautious bank which seems to auto-block my card in a number of destinations, including the US.)
You can mitigate against this to an extent by telling the bank in advance about your travel plans, but that doesn't always work. Make sure you have the fraud department's number available, and, if possible, something like a Skype app on your smartphone. And take some of your own currency with your (or travellers' cheques - about the only use left for them) in case you need to change some the old-fashioned way in an emergency.
One of many reasons why I would never recommend anyone rely upon a single card issuer, let alone a single card.
Having separate cards, from separate issuers not only gives you more cards (divide up against loss), but you can keep going if any institution has a panic.
Even at home I always have multiple cards from different issuers, and different card networks too (Amex, MC, Visa), you never know when one element will have a problem. All have had problems in the past.