Credit Cards and International Travel

Traveling without a credit card nowadays is not advised. It's also almost impossible. Even if you only use cash, you still need at least a debit card to withdraw cash from an ATM. The days of Traveler's Checks and exchanging cash are basically over and done. If you're still doing those things. Stop. Now. It's the 21st century!

Back in the mid-1990s, I went on a trip with a couple professors. Long story short, they said if I purchased my own airfare, I could tag along on their month-long trek through England and Scotland and sleep in the rental car (or outside, as weather permitted). I jumped at the chance and soon found myself in London, in front of a bank, so we could exchange money. While my well-traveled professor went into the bank to exchange Traveler's Checks and US currency, I went to the ATM machine, put in my card, entered my PIN, and withdrew a cash advance.

After a half-hour or so, the professor came back to the car and asked if I had went to a different bank or exchange office. I said, "I went to the ATM..." He was aghast. Even though he was VERY well-traveled, he had totally never thought to use an ATM when traveling. And when he was briefing students the following year for a study abroad to South America (which I also participated in), he said, "...and you can bring a credit or ATM card, as Casey has proven they can be used safely abroad".

And I haven't carried cash with the purpose to formally exchange it since.

There are a slew of perks that come with using a credit: less liability if it's lost or stolen, easy to pay for just about anything, anywhere, and just overall ease of travel. And then there are all the travel benefits which can come from a travel card.

So, here are a few tips I can offer based on over 30 years of international travel experience using credit cards:

  • Get a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees. Most travel cards from major banks have this feature. Just double-check before you apply.
  • Make sure you have a decent credit limit. You need to have a high enough credit limit to take care of any emergencies that might arise. For example, maybe your flight is cancelled and you need to spend another week on that tropical island. Does your credit card have enough left in spending power to allow you to do so?
  • Travel with more than one credit card. If one gets closed or lost or stolen, you need to have a back-up. Maybe your bank froze your credit card for some reason but you still need to pay for your hotel stay. You better have a back-up card!
  • Tied to the previous point, travel with more than one type of card as well. I like to have one each of the big three: Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. That way, I know I'm covered.
  • Take a reserve/emergency card. If something horrible happens, you need to have a back-up of your backups. Just in case. Yes, I carry a couple hundred in US cash, just in case. But I also have another emergency card that lives in the back of my wallet, just in case. It has a high enough limit that I can get myself and my spouse out of most any country if a situation were to arise, even if the other cards didn't work. Just in case.

And that's it. That's all you need. If you want to add more perks, check out getting a travel credit card (or two or three). When you are able to use their spending categories for normal, everyday expenses, any annual fee is usually negated, and the benefits that come with it can be quite lucrative.

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