LtKernelPanic

When traveling within the US I just carry what I normally do on a daily basis.

It may have been overkill but I had four cards plus a debit when I took my first trip to Europe earlier this year I didn't want to risk being stuck without a working card and after seeing that happen to another workshop attendee in Lisbon I'm glad I had extras.

2x Visa
2x Master
1 debit

Two of the cards have high limits so one was hidden in my luggage back in my hotel and one was kept in my wallet in case of emergency.

WorldClock

In my wallet:
1 VISA with no foreign transaction fees (happens to be a UA Mileage Plus card, but spouse got that card primarily so wouldn't lose a lot of accumulated miles with UA)
1 debit card

In passport security pouch:
1 Mastercard with high credit limit to get me out of a jam if necessary (just happens to be a Mastercard; never had problems using VISA overseas)

I once arrived overseas to find that my debit card didn't work in airport ATM and had to take out a cash advance with credit card. Luckily I had internet access and transferred cash from bank account to credit card that day so wouldn't accumulate ridiculous interest. I suppose it would have been helpful to have another debit card, but having only had the problem once, I don't bother.

tmiw

I don't do anything special for domestic trips. For international ones, I do make sure to have one no-FTF credit card from each of Visa/MC/AmEx (including one that's PIN preferring) and at least one no-FTF debit card. There are also a few FTF charging cards set up on my phone in case things really go wrong.

tentseller

Since my VISA and MC are chip and pin plus contactless I just bring them plus my AMEX. The Visa and MC are also FX rate ATM cards.
Other cards (non-credit) when travelling are APEC, NEXUS(Global-Entry), HKID and Ontario/Canada driver licence. That is quite a bundle already.

If they are available I use WeChat Pay or AliPay.

Yes, I carry all the $$$ related cards in different pockets.

lhrsfo

Depends where I'm going and what conversion rates I'm getting on each card. But I always bring my UK Amex and VISA. And I'll always bring my Revolut of both flavours. Then I add my US VISA or my Metro MC or whatever else seems appropriate for the relevant country.

If I had to take one only, it would always be my Revolut.

milepig

Call me lazy but I have two sets. One which is essentially my wallet with cash, general use credit cards, my insurance cards, and by debit card. That just goes with me. The other is all sorts of speciality cards - gas card, affinity cards, etc. I pull out my UA status and club cards from that, add them to my general set and the rest stays behind.

rickg523

I bring four overseas.
Flying Blue World Elite for almost everything (my main point collection card currently)
AMEX Platinum with Premium Car Rental Protection for car rental (obviously), unless I'm in Italy. Also for the occasional high priced merchandise purchase.
Barclay Arrival Plus as a backup (just in case).
Schwab One Debit Visa for ATMs. I maintain a separate checking account, apart from my main investment account, which I fund before departure for travel cash.

gobluetwo

1 AmEx
1 Visa
1 Bank card
And however many credit cards I have in my Samsung Pay digital wallet.

caburrito

I make sure at least one of my cards is a visa/mc with traditional raised numbers so they can be carbon copied by an old school credit card copier.


Never thought I would get boned for not having a card with proper raised numbers but it has happened recently, in HKG of all places.

OskiBear

That's wild. I had a merchant (tour operator) do the same thing when I was in India last year. They phoned it in, ran the card with the old school embossing machine, it was weird and made me feel somewhat uncomfortable.

tentseller

I am guessing but the embossing is a good way for the merchant to prove the physical card was used and have the buyer's signature ?

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xtgqi

With two cards, you have a reinforcement. Should misfortune strike and both of your cards are undermined, you ought to bring your platinum card just as some money. When you're choosing which two charge cards to take and planning for your trek, here's some counsel: Alert your backers of the outing.

Badenoch

All my cards are issued by Canadian banks and have raised numerals even though Canada was among the pioneers of chip and pin. Having the raised numbers comes in handy when visiting remote, under-developed, technologically-backward countries like the United States of America. A restaurant in Florida I dined in last winter used an embossing machine to process my card. Maybe it's a nostalgia thing like classic rock radio.

darthbimmer

I typically have 7 cards when I travel domestically. That's way more than I need in all but the edgiest edge cases but it's what fits comfortably in the two places I carry credit cards-- so it's a no-brainer to have them along. Additional cards are sock-drawered at home. When I travel overseas I have more concern about fraud and theft so I pare down to 3-4 cards. They'll all be no-FTF cards issued by a minimum of 2, and preferably 3, banks.