jah718

To be honest, in relation to the credit card issue, it seems you have very little knowledge of most people's lives or the norms in different cultures. For a lot of people, and most people from my country, it would be perfectly normal to have one debit card and one credit card, and in fact, a lot of people would be reluctant to even get a credit card so as not to over - extend themselves financially. Some countries, such as Germany as an example, actually use credit cards far less than in other countries, preferring to use cash.

Lastly, I think on FT, there can be a tendency to judge people who are not frequent flyers for their lack of knowledge on how to travel, which I always hate to see. People coming on here and calling people idiots for not being well traveled, just makes themselves look like idiots.

darthbimmer

You're right, it's risky to swipe a debit/ATM card that has access to all of your assets. People who travel overseas frequently recommend creating a separate account only for withdrawals while traveling. Fund it with a modest balance from your other accounts, just enough to cover your anticipate expenses. That limits the potential downside in case your card is skimmed.

84fiero

Yeah I keep what I think I'll need for the trip (with some buffer), in my Schwab no-fee account, leaving the rest in my primary accounts with Chase.

Though I will say, when my Chase debit card number was fraudulently used (while I was here at home) to withdraw cash, Chase was excellent about it. I called the same day I saw it (day after it showed up as pending IIRC) and they had the money credited back to my account that day as a "temporary credit" pending investigation. I think the investigation process - whatever that entailed - took just a few days and the credit was made permanent. Still, I'd rather avoid the hassle especially if I'll be somewhere with limited communication capability or whatnot, and keep things partitioned off.

Also as someone else mentioned upthread, I obviously pay with credit card as much as possible - hard to do in some countries, very easy to do in others. And make sure I have enough available CC balance(s) for an emergency.

OskiBear

I learned this one when I visited Sao Paulo a few years ago. I was unable to successfully extract any cash from the various airport ATMs (that I subsequently read should be avoided), but others were able to! Thankfully I receive alerts when any withdrawal has been made from my account. It was still a bit of a pain to freeze it and get the cash back.

Now, I have a separate account just for the purpose of accessing cash while traveling. Additionally, I "freeze" my debit card as I typically take cash out only once every few months. When I need to use the card, I unlock it with my app, do the withdrawal, and immediately re-lock the card.

But, I doubt anyone who hasn't read extensively or has faced the problem will think to take these precautions

invisible

This is US centric forum and advices are mostly given by and to people from US.. So the above advice is valid.

But once you leave US, above rule while generally correct, will not be that universal. I suspect that OP is from UK where they (correct me if I am wrong) have an option to do cash advance from locally issued credit cards without incurring all the fees which would be the case for US cards.

Then, there are fees and consumer protection (or absence of such) with credit card fraud. In Singapore, while every person carries 4-8 credit cards in their wallets, you will find that unless one is well educated miles/cashback chaser, most of local population prefers to carry cash on overseas trips. This can be explained due to cultural/historical reasons and the fact that Singapore has very competitive and well developed cash exchange industry where you can get most currencies close to interbank exchange rate.

Now take the fact into consideration - Singapore banks add 2.8%-3.7% fees on non-SGD transactions with credit cards, there is no such thing as fee-free transaction overseas. With ATM withdrawals you will have to pay fee at your local bank for using non-bank ATM ($4-$8), pay fee what other bank's ATM charges (varies, but in Thailand for example you will pay $7 and more per withdrawal), and your deducts 2%-2.5% fees on top of the interbank exchange rate when withdrawing from an overseas ATM. So if I want to get $100 and I am charged $5+$4+$2=$11 -11% of fees from $100, I would not do it personally - I'd go to money changer and get that cash with 20c fee instead of $11.

darthbimmer

My ATM card was skimmed on an overseas trip two years ago. Thieves withdrew about $1500 a month later. My credit union was very helpful in reversing the debits for me (thieves still had their $$$) and issuing a new account number.

BTW I was being cautious about watching out for ATM skimmers on that trip, as it was in a country where it's known to happen. After the theft I searched news -- hard because the problem wasn't reported outside of the local language, in which I have only casual conversational skill -- and found that the skimmers were allegedly an inside job at the ATM operator.

FlyerTalker70

If you purchase something at post security (i.e. Duty Free) isn't it supposed to come in one of the IATA/ICAO tamper evident bags with the booze and receipt inside which security at the transit airports is supposed to check to ensure no more than 24-48 hours have lapsed between purchase and you going through security? Perhaps they removed that from the packaging but to me that seems like an amateur mistake and something I suspect the duty-free store would've warned them of!

Great advice there - looks like I'll be revising my travel routine to carry a debit card which carries no ForEx and ATM fees but has a limited amount of Dinero (i.e. $500).

Safe Travels,

James

84fiero

Interesting to see the different bank and consumer practices around the world!

Yeah that's disconcerting!! It's possible my issue traced back to a trip to Mexico earlier that year, though like you, I was careful to check for evidence of skimming at ATMs and only used in-bank machines at major international financial institutions. Could have been an inside job, too, I suppose. Glad it worked out for you too though.

pinniped

I carry a mix of credit cards of different types and different issuing banks. I won't even pretend to know how/why I get rejected charges abroad, but often the rejection is in-country, not a rejection made by my U.S. bank. For example, I've had cases where all of my Chase cards were rejecting in a country - and then I'd call Chase to say "...?" and Chase would say "we don't show any attempts to use your cards."

I also carry one debit card and am super careful both physically with where I keep that card and with the machines I'll use it in. Ideally, only in a secure ATM area inside a large physical bank of a brand I recognize or of a brand that is obviously that country's dominant brand. While this isn't foolproof, I'm just looking for a target that is harder for a skimmer to hit than other nearby targets. Thankfully, I can complete a lot of international trips without needing cash - or only needing a small amount obtainable in one ATM stop.

If I'm going to any country I'm not at all familiar with, I also bring enough cash (dollars and euros, 20's usually) to handle a few taxi rides and simple meals. Sort of a fallback if I'm in an airport, there's no Uber or credit card cabs, my cards aren't working, etc. and I just want a simple way into town. Of course cash currency conversions are suboptimal, but it's better than having to do a credit card cash advance from a human teller.

darthbimmer

Mexico is where my card was skimmed. I used only two ATMs that trip, one in a 4.5-star hotel and one in a brand-name international bank. As I said, the fraud was alleged to have been perpetrated by employees of the company that serviced the ATMs. The skimmer was found inside the machine! I've used my ATM card in a dozen other countries without problem.