Using American Credit Cards Internationally
If you’re preparing for an international trip, one thing you may want to consider is whether or not you’ll be bringing along a personal or business credit card to make purchases. If you plan on using credit cards for any sort of foreign transactions, there are several things that you’ll want to keep in mind:
1. Keep an eye out for double-billing
Unfortunately, it does happen. You reserve a rental car or hotel with your card, but then decide to pay with cash or an alternate form of payment. But when your credit card statement comes, you’ve been billed anyway! To avoid any confusion that can accompany a double-billing situation, keep all your cash receipts. They’ll come in handy when you need to dispute that charge.
2. Keep your credit card number somewhere safe
If your credit card is stolen or lost while you’re traveling internationally, you’ll need to turn to those credit card numbers to make purchases, so be sure to store them in a secure place, whether in a password-protected location on the Internet or in a physical safe. Another good idea to prevent the problems that can come with losing a card is to bring a back-up card just in case something happens to the first.
3. Use just one credit card
When traveling in foreign countries, it’s a good idea to stick to using just one credit card instead of spreading your purchases out among many cards. Using one credit card will make it easier for you to budget your spending while traveling. While a credit card is much safer than cash if you are robbed, you should still store your card in a safe place such as a money belt.
Those are just three tips that can come in handy when using American credit cards internationally. What other pieces of advice would you like to share?