Good idea to contact Credit Card company before traveling

hotpepperkid wrote:

"I contact my credit card and bank of the states Im going to be traveling and also check activity every day or so"

Not only is it a good idea but most CC companies require it. Very embarrasing to be a long way out of state and using your CC only to have it denied when you know it has zero charges on it yet. Happened to us one time and we very quickly learned! Luckily, our main bank is basically nationwide and our account info is always recognized as we tell our home bank where we are going also.

Same here on notifing the CC companies before making trips. In my working years I was on the road alot and learned this from way way back then....


Roy Ken

We went abroad last September. I had never bothered to contact CC companies in the past, but decided to do so since security on all credit cards has been increased in recent years. Chase rep (my VISA) took my info and said thank you for letting us know. American Express rep said "we expect our cardholders to travel, no problem here, and no need to notify us."

I used both in Europe during out trip, and the only problems I had were at ATMs, where I sometimes had difficulty figuring out what the machine wanted and how to respond/which buttons to push.

I have never had any problems with any of my cards anywhere in the US in spite of never telling them where I was going. Perhaps this is due to the fact that my cards get used all over the US all the time. I HAVE gotten calls (stupidly on the land-line at home instead of my cell phone, which I'd have with me while traveling) about those usages. The times there has been fraud involved, I've called them, not the other way round.

I highly recommend everyone check all their credit card activity at least weekly, whether THEY call you or not.

I'm glad that they are checking for unusual spending patterns like that. I've had the same issue and now let my card companies know before I travel (when I think about it).

I contact my credit card and bank of the states Im going to be traveling and also check activity every day or so

We notify CC company for every trip. There is usually a clicky on your internet banking site to set up a travel advisory.

Good idea to keep up with your daily spending limits as well.