Anyone lost a debit card the day before an international vacation? (worst, 2015)
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Hey guys, my worst nightmare. I'm leaving the country for a vacation Monday and Friday afternoon I wind up leaving my ATM card in one of those machines that suck up your card as opposed to you just swiping it.
Unfortunately I didn't even discover it until about 5PM when I called to get my card okayed for international use. My bank typically has a 10-14 day replacement period to mail a card out to you but in emergencies can get it done in 3 business days. Needless to say that won't cut it for me as I'm leaving the next business day so I started searching for banks who issue debit cards on the spot.
Surprisingly there's lots of small banks and credit unions offering this service, however what are the chances there's one in my or your area right? I did find though two major national banks in almost every city where you can have this done. One is chase bank and the other is wells fargo.
I walked into chase bank saturday morning, signed up for a new checking account and walked out with a debit Card on the spot. Can't beat that. I'm not a huge fan of using my credit card outside the country unless for larger purchases like a big dinner or buying a big ticket item prefer to take cash out of atms and use that way so this worked out wlel for me.
We learned that our credit union (Eglin FCU) does same day everything when we learned that a employer's direct deposit file had been hacked and coworkers had had several thousand dollars stolen from their bank accounts. I do 95% of my banking online, but am very glad that I can go two blocks down the way and have all my bank account and mortgage account numbers changed and new debit cards issued on the spot in about 20 minutes.
I don't know about how to replace a card on the weekend, but for future travel, it is a good idea to have two debit cards from two different banks. There is always the possibility of a machine devouring your card while you are away from home.
Most ATM's will also take credit cards, so you have the option of traveling on your credit card. I feel that the credit card is more secure, it can be used at more places, and if you've picked the credit card company carefully, some of them will give you the commercial exchange rate instead of the tourist exchange rate and that can be a pretty substantial savings.
A few countries will refund your VAT and room taxes as you leave the country if you have receipts and fill out the proper paperwork. Credit card receipts work well for that purpose.
My savings account is tied to my checking on one card, and I also have a separate card I can use to access those savings funds. I can instantly transfer money online between accounts and use the second card. Hail Mary is to transfer money online to my credit union account and withdraw using that card. it takes a few days for the funds to move, but I always have enough funds in local currency for the first few days before I leave anyhow.
You shouldn't use debit cards, only CC's. There is NO protections with a debit card. If someone drains your account that's it. You can fight it but in the meantime your money is gone gone gone. If someone makes fraudulent charges on a CC you dispute it and aren't out anything in the meantime. It's personal finance 101.
I don't know about how to replace a card on the weekend, but for future travel, it is a good idea to have two debit cards from two different banks. There is always the possibility of a machine devouring your card while you are away from home.
Most ATM's will also take credit cards, so you have the option of traveling on your credit card. I feel that the credit card is more secure, it can be used at more places, and if you've picked the credit card company carefully, some of them will give you the commercial exchange rate instead of the tourist exchange rate and that can be a pretty substantial savings.
A few countries will refund your VAT and room taxes as you leave the country if you have receipts and fill out the proper paperwork. Credit card receipts work well for that purpose.
Credit cards charge cash advance fees NOT ONLY at ATM machines but also if you were to go to a currency exchange and buy foreign cash and the fees are pretty steep so I'd recommend not using a CC to get cash from an ATM unless its a last resort.
One interesting workaround some people sell leftover travel money on ebay. You can buy Euros, Pounds, etc on ebay and Pay with Paypal and skirt the cash advance fees though its generally in smaller amounts
Well, you shouldn't be using a DEBIT card out of your local area....so get a replacement while you're gone, and use cash or a credit card!
I don't use my debit card at point of sale at home or away but the idea you shoudln't use your debit card out of your area at ATM machine is crazy. Of course you should its much cheaper than going to a currency exchange and ATM cards are pretty safe at ATM machines as long as you know what a skimmer looks like and how not to get caught by one but even that is kind of an overblown problem
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