Get a fresh start on your credit and protect yourself against fraud on your summer vacation simply by using the right credit card when you head to the beach this year!
Did you know that most credit/debit card frauds actually happen when you’re out of town? Did you also know that areas frequented by tourists are literally the worst places to use a debit or credit card that is attached to your bank account?
Just imagine, you’ve traveled all night to get to your destination, stopping occasionally for gas, snacks, and so forth along the way. You finally reach your vacation rental, hotel, or resort, and then, just as you are ready to check in, your debit or credit card is declined. Impossible, you think. The money was there before you left home yesterday.
Frantically, you pull up your bank account on your mobile phone…only to find out that someone has drained your account dry!
What happened to your money?
Chances are, somewhere along the way, there was a gas pump, or an ATM, or something with a “skimmer” attached, and that skimmer transmitted your card number, along with your PIN to someone just waiting to duplicate your card and then use it to drain your account…all before you even realized what was happening.
Now what are you supposed to do?
Even though your bank will ultimately return the money to your account, you will have to file a dispute, cancel your card, and wait up to three days for the refund…in the meantime, you’re hundreds or thousands of miles from home with no money, no place to stay, and no way to do anything at all until you get the problem with your bank account resolved.
And to think, all of this could have been avoided if you’d just been able to use a credit card instead of your debit/credit card that’s attached to your bank account. Yes, while it is true that your credit card could have been compromised just the same as the card attached to your bank account, you would have at least still had access to your bank account if you’d used the credit card instead, and chances are, you would have had enough money in your account to cover something… a place to stay, gas for the drive home, something…But, then again, your credit is not so great…who is going to give you a credit card?