How to safely use a bank card in the overseas tour

Being abroad, our tourists are increasingly paying goods and services with credit and debit cards. Indeed, this method of payment helps to solve a number of small traveler problems, which turns out to be in someone else’s country. The map makes a tourist independent of currency exchange points, allows you to quickly pay for goods and services, because it does not need to wait for delivery, and also helps to avoid the lack of money due to theft of cash.

But, like any payment instrument, bank card has its own characteristics. Safety experts series of the largest our banks: VTB, Sberbank, «Tinkoff Bank» and «Alpha Bank» – shared with bank card owners the most relevant rules for their use.

Basic rules

Some rules are relevant for cardholders (do not forget that the map belongs to the bank, not you, and you are considered her holder, not the owner) not only in foreign trips, but also in the homeland. These «Basic» Rules are spelled out in the document Central Bank. We recommend travelers to remember the main provisions:

• Nobody report a PIN from the card. PIN is best remembered, but if you do not trust your memory, write it down in an implicit form (not on the sheet or in the signature file «PIN from the card») And in the place where no one can see it (for example, hide into a safe or encrypt the file on the flash drive);
• No one (even to friends) do not use the bank card;
• On the revolving side of the card, the bank is indicated by the bank, which released it. Save it on the phone. Also better always have with you the number of the bank card itself (you can write it on a piece of paper, in a notebook, diary or phone). It is important to store the card number and the peak code from it in different places;
• Before traveling, contact your bank with a request to install a restrictive daily limit on the map for the amount of operations – If suddenly a card or her details fall into the hands of scammers, they will not be able to steal all the means at once;
• Connect the service «Mobile Bank», To receive SMS alerts about perfect operations on the map. So, you can always track the balance on the map and control fraudulent transactions. Moreover, all incoming SMS messages from all operators, even in roaming, free.

Training map for travel

If you make a map specifically for a trip, be sure to check whether your name and surname are correct on it, and put a back signature. By the way, check out the map specifically for travel – Good idea: if it is like scammers, they do not recognize the numbers of the cards that you use in the native country.

Before you go with a card on a trip, check out its validity, it is indicated on the front side of the month’s card / year. The map is valid until the last for the month, which is specified on it. Also check how cash on the card remains. Calculate whether the money will be enough, given all the write-offs of payments on the loan and other spending, as well as, with the lack of funds for such payments, the case did not turn «Overdue».

Explore your mobile phone account for the amount that will be enough to make an emergency call to the bank from abroad.

Protect a bank mobile application in a smartphone using a password or identification on fingerprint.

Which card is suitable for a foreign trip?

Two cards «Main» International Systems – Visa and Mastercard – can be calculated worldwide. Despite numerous discussions and advice on the Internet, today the use of these cards does not differ in principle. Therefore, boldly take a Visa map on travel around Europe and MasterCard– in USA. In many European and Asian countries, UnionPay and JCB systems in Russia are adopted in Russia.

However, with Maestro maps (despite the fact that it is a direct «relative» MasterCard) problems may arise. First, you will not be able to pay them anywhere abroad. Secondly, most of these banks of Russia (social, retirement and others) are valid only in their homeland, which is indicated on the reverse side. Therefore, abroad such cards will not work. Also, you should not take with you to the overseas travel maps of the National System «Peace» – It is better to use them in Russia.

But it’s not worth counting only on the map in a long trip. Experts advise to take with them, at least two cards of different banks and different international payment systems, plus just in case have a certain amount of cash with themselves.

Fans of frequent foreign journeys are recommended to start a special card for use abroad and replenish it on the eve of the trip. In the case of a single trip, you can do the previously decorated cards.

To calculate retailers (minor services or products), it is equally suitable as debit and credit card. If you need to remove cash in the local currency, give preference to the debit card.

If you plan to use the card as a payment guarantee (let’s say, at a pledge for a hotel or rent a car), choose credit. It is more profitable because in this case the map will be «frozen» not your personal money, and bank funds. With a foreign trip (especially short) in some cases, it is more profitable for a credit card: you do not spend your money, and subsequently you can pay off the debt on the credit card of your debit. And during the so-called GracePeriod, the Bank does not charge for this interest.

Conversion on the ruble map

Bank card can be calculated worldwide, it is suitable for operations in any currency. If the operation is performed in another currency (for example, when calculating the ruble card abroad), the means are converted from one currency to another. Conversion occurs both when online purchases and offline calculation, as well as when you take cash in an ATM. When converting the bank charges a certain percentage from a transaction.

If you do not want to pay a percentage of conversion, make a currency card for foreign trips: for traveling to the eurozone – with a bill in the euro, to other countries – in dollars.

Remember that, as a rule, money in rubles is written off for 2-3 days later the date of purchase, and during this time the currency rate may change. So it is desirable not to spend absolutely all means on the map, but «Keep» On account of a certain amount, thanks to which you will not go «in minus». After all, otherwise, it will be necessary not only to return debt bank, but also pay accrued interest.

If you have a currency card, remember that you always need to be calculated in the currency of the country where you are (with Eurochart – In countries where euro goes, with dollar – dollar and so on). Then the funds will be converted once – from the currency in which the operation is performed in the currency of your account.

Tell the bank about the trip abroad

Banks track all card operations, trying to secure the customer maximize and prevent fraudulent action with money. Therefore, banks pay attention to all «non-standard» Operations – For example, cash removal or purchase abroad. Noticing such «Uncharacteristic» For the client of the operation (for example, if a person is regularly calculated by the card in Moscow, but suddenly removes cash in the Czech Republic), a computer security system (and this is a robot, not a man!) Most likely, automatically blocks the map, trying to protect the client from scammers.

To unlock the map, you need to call or write in any convenient way to the Bank’s support. But that such a situation does not arise, it is better to notify the bank about the upcoming trip in advance. This can be done in a mobile application or a personal office of the online bank, indicating the timing of the trip and the country to which you go.

If your bank has no such functionality yet, contact the support service – This can be done by phone, email, in messengers or on official pages of the bank in social networks.

Cash withdrawals in foreign ATMs

When you take off the cash abroad, remember that the bank who has established an ATM can hold the commission for this service. As a rule, the appropriate inscription appears on the ATM screen. In addition, as we said, do not forget about conversion.

Banks advise customers during foreign trips to remove cash with large sums and as much as possible – so you can save.

Sometimes when removing money on certain types of maps, banks themselves cover the commission. Thus, the client can take free cash from a debit card at any ATM in the world if the removal amount exceeds a certain limit set for this account currency.

Card when deposit in hotel and car rental

Often foreign hotels or car rental services when booking a room or machines pre-block funds on the map. This amount is not written off, but remains on the map locked. When payment occurs, the same amount is written off. The standard period of such blocking is 30 days.

Learn in advance what amount will be blocked as a guarantee. Recall that for these cases a credit card is better suitable: such a frozen amount is not considered a loan, and it does not need to pay interest. At the same time you can spend free money on the debit card and do not worry about «double» board.

Map fraud abroad

As experts say «Alpha Bank», One of the most popular ways to compromise cards and pin-code – Interception of cards and data when removing cash in ATMs (various methods are used here – from skimming to direct capture card).

Subsequently, fraudsters can make unauthorized operations, and the owner will have to independently block the map, being abroad. Considering that the person is in another country, in some cases it will be difficult for him to promptly report the bank about the happening. Therefore, experts recommend taking a few maps of different banks on a trip.

If there are chances that your personal data and pin-code or the bank card itself were in the hands of scammers, as quickly as possible, contact the bank, which gave the map, and follow the instructions of the manager.

To avoid fraud abroad, banks are recommended for the period of traveling to establish expenditure limits – so that the operation on the map was limited to a certain amount of funds. This can be done in the Internet Bank, and in some cases the client will need to contact the bank with a statement.

You can set the consuming limit for a month, on operations in the Internet bank or limit cash withdrawal per day. Then, even if the map turns out to be fraudsters, they will not be able to spend more amount you set.