Life lesson - In case you're not aware

NeverHome2 wrote:
We really shudder when we have to use our credit card. There are so many simple ways for thieves to get the card info. We try to get cash from our local bank to cover some of the initial big expenses like fuel and campground. Our card is from an east coast bank and since that is where we travel most, we go to the bank's mac machine where ever we are camping. No fees and no retailer with your card number! Not always possible to find our bank.

My DW is not a fan of letting strangers at the CC companies know when we are leaving town. Kind of opens the door for thieves too.

So you're worried about the credit card being compromised but as a solution you go get a chunk of cash to cover the initial big expenses???? You do realize if your credit card gets compromised you have to make a few phone calls and maybe sign a declaration, but in the end you will likely lose nothing! If that big wad of cash gets lost or stolen you aren't getting a dime back. Even insurance won't cover the loss of cash.

Trust me on this, I spent a career in law enforcement with much of that working fraud, use your credit cards. I only use cash for small stuff like fastfood, coffee at Starbucks, and other petty cash type items. Otherwise everything goes through the credit cards and normally it's always the ATM card unless I'm at a restaurant where the waiter is going to take the card and come back. In those cases I used a regular credit card not because you can't get the money back on the ATM Visa, but because that money comes out of your bank account first and then has to be replaced. (Usually they do this fairly quickly) But at least with a regular credit card it's never any of my own money that's lost for any length of time.