Keeping Your Money Safe While Traveling for the Holidays

Holiday travel is intended for fun with friends and family – not stressing about financial loss. There are multiple steps to take before and during holiday travel to ensure your money is safe, allowing you to focus on relaxation or your loved ones. Explore these quick tips for keeping your money safe.

Safety with Cards:

According to U.S News Travel, you should plan to carry at least two credit cards. In case one is stolen or lost, it is also important that cards are from different credit networks such as a Visa and a Mastercard. It ia always best practice to alert your bank of upcoming trips to ensure charges card will not get declined while traveling. It it is also suggested you tell your bank associate the dates of your trip to enhance oversight of potential fraud on your account.

In Europe, many restaurants, cafes, and stores only accept cash or a credit card with a chip; these chips on the credit card can lead to vulnerability to electronic pickpockets. It is suggested to purchase an inexpensive sleeve protector that will block the transmission of radio frequency identification signals.

With cash so popular in places like Europe, you may be enticed to take out cash from your bank account to prevent paying card fees. When using an ATM, choose one that is inside of a bank, reducing the likelihood of using a compromised machine. It provides added peace of mind when being away from unknown eyes. If using a personal credit or debit card makes you nervous, consider carrying a prepaid Visa or American Express card to eliminate unauthorized access to a regular credit card.

Safety with Cash:

Accidents happen, you put your wallet or purse down and forget about it, or maybe cash falls out of your pocket – plan ahead to lessen the blow and prevent yourself from unintended loss.

For starters, when bringing cash on vacation, make sure to divide and separate your cash. Only keep as much cash as needed for your day's adventure, and separate cash in multiple pockets or bags in case an accident or a pickpocketing does occur. Keep remaining cash, particularly any significant amounts, in a safe whenever available. It is also recommended to carry more small bills than a couple of large bills.

We hope these simple reminders will help you when traveling this holiday season! For more information and talk to one of our associates today.