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By Helen Storey Staff Writer
Thursday, 14 August 2008
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 Compare credit cards for travel here
Tell your credit card company you’re going abroad
Check all charges you might incur
Take a note of your card issuers helpline number
Check your credit limit
Which are the best credit cards for spending abroad?
- Post Office Classic Credit Card
- 0% Foreign Transaction fee
- 16.9% APR
 Get this card!
- Post Office Platinum Credit Card
- 0% Foreign Transaction fee
- 15.9% APR
Get this card!
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MOST of us have suffered at some point from that dreaded moment at the checkout when your credit card transaction refuses to go through for one reason or another.
It’s bad enough when you’re in your local supermarket, but when you’re nowhere near your home comforts, and there’s a burly Spanish man staring at you wondering where his Euros are, things can get a bit hairy.
Our tips for avoiding credit card cancellation horrors should put you in good stead for a hassle-free holiday.
Why take a credit card abroad?
Let’s face it: Wearing a bum-bag on holiday is just not cool (unless you’re an American tourist), and spending 10 minutes at a foreign shop checkout, unfurling odd-coloured notes, and closely inspecting coins for their denomination is just plain annoying.
This is just one of many reasons why more and more people are opting to take a credit card abroad.
Aside from the convenience and ease of using a credit card, it also means you can pay off your indulgences when you return.
Of course, there are some important things to think about when taking your credit card on your jollies to make sure that all your transactions go without a hitch.
1. Tell your credit card company you’re going abroad.
This is especially important if you don’t use your credit card that much.
If all your transactions consist of buying petrol and groceries in Slough, your credit card company may raise a potentially fraudulent eyebrow when they see that you’re splashing out in San Francisco.
This could result in a highly embarrassing situation where your card is unceremoniously cancelled, and whilst your credit card issuer may be trying to call you to inform you of this fact, you’ll be 4000 miles away, and sat in a foreign restaurant with no means to pay for the burger you just scoffed.
2. Don’t rack up endless charges on your card
Just like in the UK, many card issuers will charge you either a flat fee, or a certain percentage if you try and draw money out of cash machines abroad, and before you know it, you’ve reached your credit limit without realising.
The best way to avoid this is by reading the small print, or enquiring to your credit card company before you set off.
Don’t get stung on transaction fees either, which can also rack up quickly.
You may find that you could get charged simply for using your credit card in a foreign shop or restaurant, and you’ll end up searching through your Italian phrasebook to work out why the waiter keeps saying rifiutare. (It means declined, for those of you who are not of Italian persuasion).
3. Pre-pay is sometimes the best way
Another great way to avoid reaching your credit limit is to take a pre-paid credit card. Much like a pay-as-you-go mobile, you top it up before you go, and can only spend the amount that is loaded onto the card.
If you go a little overboard when buying tacky souveniers or get a little enthusiastic about sending postcards to each member of your family, you can top it up your pre-pay credit card over the telephone or the internet.
4. Take more than one card
If the worst should happen to you when you’re chilling out by the beach, and you find your card gets eaten by an ATM machine, or maxed out by overindulgent nights in Ibiza, make sure you have another on hand, so you don’t find yourself skint and starving.
Bon Voyage!
You can compare credit cards for spending on holiday here.
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