Travel

How to Choose a Card for Travel?

posted by Chris Valentine

Today, more and more travelers prefer to pay by credit card, but not by cash.  And since non-cash payments are becoming increasingly popular, a lot of tourists use this type of payment overseas.

The presence of the banking card during the journey eliminates the need to declare money while crossing the border. You also need to notify Customs. It guarantees a greater level of financial protection.

What to pay your attention to

If you are going to a long-time trip, call the Bank and warn it what country you are visiting and for how long. Otherwise, there is a risk that the system will automatically block the card due to suspected fraud. Also during the call ask there are any restrictions on card transactions (limits for withdrawing money). In addition, it is necessary to write down the telephone number of the service of the Bank, through which you can block the card in case of loss, and take it with you.

Also check the date on the “plastic”, so that the validity period does not expire during the trip. The card indicates the date till which it is usable.

A difficult choice

All classes and types of cards are suitable for travelling abroad. On effectify, you can easily select the most suitable card for you. It’s desirable to give preference to standard EMV (with a chip and a compulsory PIN-code). This standard was developed specifically to increase the level of security of financial transactions. After all, journeys always involve calculations in the various outlets, and the use of the card with the chip will help to protect your money from fraud. It’s suitable for travel cards Visa (Classic / Gold / Platinum) and MasterCard (Standard / Gold).

You can use Visa Electron or Maestro cards. However, if you decide to use them, call the Bank and verify that they are accepted abroad. Maestro and Visa Electron are used mainly for cash withdrawal. And the Visa (Classic, Gold, Platinum), MasterCard (Standard, Gold) in addition to withdrawals of cash are provided with a possibility to proceed with non-cash transactions, such as booking a hotel room, renting a car, purchasing various kinds of tickets, and as well as paying for the Internet.

Maximum benefit

The maximum benefit from handling the card can be gained by using it everywhere for the transactons in distribution networks. Planning your trip, you can book a hotel, buy air or railway tickets, pay for the car rental, etc.

And don’t forget about discounts for the presentation of the card at retailers, restaurants, airports or hotels abroad as it’s very common. The premium-class cards allow you to take advantage of various privileges of the payment systems.

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