7 Tips to Protect Your Identity and Cards While on Vacation

7 Tips to Protect Your Identity and Cards While on Vacation

The time for people to escape out cool climate for warmer regions is now upon us.  Wherever you go, chances are that their standards for security regarding cards and accounts may not be great as those here at home.  The following are 7 tips that can help you protect your money while travelling abroad.

1. Use credit, not debit.  Credit cards usually have zero liability policies which can protect you if they are copied or stolen.  Debit cards give direct access to your account, which you want to avoid in areas where identity theft is likely.
2. Change PINs before your trip.  As you leave on your trip stop by the credit union and change your PINs on your debit and credit cards.  You can change them back upon returning, which blocks use of any possible stolen/copied cards after the PIN change date.  You can change your PIN in branch or at your credit union’s ATM.
3. Take 2 credit cards.  Keep them separated so that if one is lost or stolen you have a backup to use.
4. Notify the credit union and credit card company before your trip.  We try to protect your money, so if we see a surprise transaction in the Bahamas without prior contact we may put a hold on the account.  This is meant as protection for you, but warning your credit union about your travel plans can prevent hassles alter on.
5. Use the hotel safe.  Valuables can disappear from even a locked hotel room.  Take advantage of using the hotel safe, and lock your passport, credit cards, and laptop away when you are not using them.  Far better to be safe than sorry.
6. Know your information.  Make copies of your cards’ and bank’s information before you go and give them to a trusted friend or family member.  Give your family a schedule of your plans as well.  You could be a long ways from home, and having someone else know where you should be is valuable information should anything happen.
7. Be wifi safe.  No-one should use public wifi to access online banking anywhere, even in Canada.  They definitely should not use public wifi for online banking in other countries.  Over your own cell phone, using the smartphone’s internet access, not wifi, is the safest way to do online banking in another country.

All of these tips are meant to protect you from possible occurrences.  Once you have done them you can relax a little more while on your vacation.