While you’ll always need some cash, using a credit card for your spending needs can significantly simplify overseas travel. You won’t need to deal with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:converting currency, and armed with the right credit card; you won’t pay unnecessary 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:foreign transaction fees.

Also, pickpockets will be less of a threat, because credit cards are easier to conceal and keep safe and because even if your card is stolen, you won’t lose money. Just 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:report your card missing, and you’ll b🧔e off the hook for any unauthorized purchases.

Sti꧒ll, the act of using a credit card does not in itself make overseas spending cheaper. By following these four tips before you leave and while traveling, you can make that goal a reality.

1. Use a Credit Card With No Foreign Transaction ൲Fee

Many credit card issuers charge fees for purchases made overseas with a foreign merchant. These foreign transaction fees typically range from 2% to 5% of the purchase amount. As a result, you can pay significantly more than the listed price of your purchases overseas, which can really add up throughout a trip.

Before you depart, check your credit and debit card agreements to see if they include such fees. If they do, then apply for a credit card with no 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:foreign transaction fee and for a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:debit card that does not charge extra for ATM withdrawals in other countries. Make sure to ap🦄ply far enough in advance to allow for approval, account setup, and receiving your new card in the mail.

2. Call Your Credit Card Issuer Before Leaving

Once you have the requisite cards, alert the issuer of your 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:travel plans and ask for the number that you can call collect for assistance while overs𒈔eas. This will not only ensure that your cards do not g✅et suspended because of suspicious activity but also give you a way to contact your issuer free of charge if something comes up.

Some card issuers no longer need cardholders to alert them to upcoming travel. For example, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:American Express uses fraud technology to help recognize when cardholders are traveling. Amex recommends keeping your contact information updated in case it needs to contact you while you’re away. Be sure to check with your credit card company 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:before you leave to see if notifying them is necessary.

3. Avoid Dynamic Currency Conversion

Make sure to avoid 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:dynamic currency conversion, a credit card feature that allows you to make a credit card purchase in a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:foreign country by using the currency of your home country. Some of us tend to have trouble relating 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:foreign currency to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:U.S. dollar, at leas✃t 🌊off the top of our heads, while shopping.

Foreign merchants take advantage of this fact at the checkout counter by offering to quote the final price in U.S. dollars and, unbeknownst to tourists, making that 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:conversion at an uncompetitive 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:exchange rate.

Avoiding these unnecessary costs is quite simple. All you need to do is refuse t🍸o sign any check or receipt not expressed in the local currency.

4. Memorize Your PIN

With the institution of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:chip-and-PIN technology, some credit card terminals—particularly those in Europe—require the cardholder to enter a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:personal identification number (PIN). Make sure you have one set up and memorize🐽d before you leave town.

Merchants in some countries still use the less sophisticated magnetic stripe system. As a result, merchants in these markets may not accept your credit card if you don’t have proper identification. As long as you carry your passport, you should be fine. ♏Merchants simply want to be able to verify that the person using a crﷺedit card is actually the one authorized to do so.

The Bottom Line

While overseas travel can be both confu꧒sing and expensive, thไere are ways to minimize the cost and hassle of spending abroad.

As long as you have a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, notify your credit card company of your 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:travel plans, and only pay for purchases expressed in tܫerms of the local currency, you should be able to avoid post𒊎-trip credit statement surprises.

Ultimately, a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:trip overseas shouldn’t be characterized by worries over conversion rates and handling foreign money. So get the right cards before leaving and let your focus to ﷽shift to its rightful place: having a good time or getting down to business.