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Admiring centuries-old pieces of art, tasting new foods, seeing amazing architecture, and accumulating memorable experiences has become a quasi-addiction of travellers around the world. And with options that vary from short-breaks to round-the-world trips, it has never been easier to pack your bags and go.
However, travelling abroad can become expensive. While you can take care of expenditures like tickets and hotel reservations before departure, a good deal of transactions usually take place when you arrive at your destination.
A good way to simplify your life when you are travelling overseas is to use credit cards.Credit cards offer security and convenience that just isn’t available when using foreign currency.
Using a credit card for your foreign travel is a wise choice, but there are also many essential things you must consider when using it overseas.
Consider these six things for getting maximum utility from your travel card while travelling abroad:
1. Inform About Your Travel Plans to Your Credit Card Issuer
Before going on a trip overseas, call your credit card issuer and inform about your travel plans. This would help you to get international access and ensure authorization for uninterrupted services.
This is because on account of any unusual transaction, like an international transaction or a high amount, credit card issuers usually call the cardholder to authenticate the transaction. And if your bank calls you for authentication, only to find that your phone is not reachable, it would reject your transaction.
2. Check If Your Credit Card Is Valid Internationally
Some credit cards are more widely accepted around the world than others. In case your basic card is not accepted internationally, your card transaction might get declined,and you might get into financial trouble.So, you might want to check this before you set off.
3. Know Your Spending Limits
Before taking off, make sure to check the credit limit of your travel card. By doing so, you can increase your spending limit if required, as most international transactions are relatively expensive.
Remember that once you exhaust your credit limit, your credit card transactions would be declined. However, make sure to use your travel card wisely.
4. Watch Out for Foreign Transaction Fees
Before you start using your travel card abroad, understand how your card issuer may apply foreign transaction fees. This is because, foreign transaction fees can add up to be very costly, from 2.5 to 3.5 percent each, depending on the lender.
Credit card issuers like Axis Bank disclose detailed information about these fees. Therefore, look for this information on issuer’s website, or call your card issuer and ask.
5. Beware of Credit Card Frauds
Just because you are on your much-needed vacation, that’s no reason to relax when it comes to scams. In fact, you should be much more vigilant.Because fraudulent transactions, stealing credit card data, and cloning of credit cards are a common phenomenon in specific countries.
Therefore, while travelling abroad, keep checking your balances online so that you can find out about any fraudulent activity quickly. Put simply, while using your credit card internationally, always be alert!
6. Always Keep the Card Details with You
In case of an unpleasant situation like loss or theft of your card, having your card information as well as the phone number of your issuer will always come in handy. For that purpose, contact your issuer and get an emergency contact number that works where you are travelling.Also inquire about how you will get a new credit card should you lose it, or have it stolen.
Next, keep some copies of your credit card info and your passport in a secure place (separate from the cards).
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re jetting off to Paris, New York or London,credit cards if used smartly can help you to manage your foreign trip cost-effectively. However, before setting off, decide on your spending so that you are not bothered with worries while travelling.
