Summer Travel Safety Tips
While you may enjoy an offbeat summer experience, many of us will take the conventional route and head out of town to a relaxing summer vacation destination.
Before traveling, make sure your finances are in order. When there is an unusual amount of fraud occurring in a foreign country or destination, your credit union sometimes blocks transactions from that country.
Other financial institutions sometimes block foreign transactions as well, so you may want to consider the following tips before you go.
Call your credit union (and all other banks and card providers you may have) to notify them of your travel plans so they can note it on your account. Make sure to give 48-72 hours advance notice.
Be prepared to provide the state(s) or countries you will be visiting and the date you plan to leave and return.
Ask all your financial institutions about any foreign country restrictions, and any associated fees. Find out how and where you can access their services.
Planning a beach trip? Determine which accounts you will withdraw from, and how you can receive those funds (ATM, Wire Transfer, cash-back option with your debit card, etc). Plan ahead—whether you’re on the boardwalk at O.C. or kicking around in San Juan—you can most-likely get quick cash from an ATM.
Review your records to ensure that you will have the proper funds available as you travel. Make sure your bills are in order, too.
Sign up for alerts before you leave so you can receive account information and reminders on the go.
Write down of all your credit and debit card numbers, and the toll-free phone numbers of all your financial institutions. Keep your lists and plans in a safe place, and give a copy to a trusted family member or friend.
In the event one of your cards is blocked or if you suspect card fraud, have a list of contact numbers to call immediately to request your card be disabled so no further transactions will be authorized. Learn how to report a lost or stolen card.