How to be money smart when traveling overseas
(1) Do not carry lots of Cash
You do need to have cash on you when you are traveling overseas, there are lots of places that do not accept credit cards. You are thinking so how would I get cash to cover my entire holiday. $100 in my pocket will only cover first 2 days.
(2) Get a Travel Money Card or a Travel Bank Card.
I use Cash passport card, Which is amazing. I load it with money in the currency I need and off I go. Cash free. This card is my best friend when I am traveling. You can now get Travel Money card from a bank or Travelex.
(3) Keep your card secure
Once you load your card with money, you must treat it like a credit card. Do not write your pin number down anywhere.
(4) Lock in an exchange rate
Getting excellent exchange rate makes a big difference when you’re heading overseas. If you time it right you could make your dollar stretch further.
(5) Pay in local currency
When overseas, you should always choose to pay in local currency, this saves you a lot of money in exchange rates and bank fees. Remember to always tell the person serving you that you want to pay in local currency.
(6) Remember your limit
You’ve saved money by locking in the exchange rate and paid no fees on purchases simply by choosing the local currency but keep an eye out for your limit. If you are not sure, check it online. You can reload if require. Just link the card to your bank account.
(7) Do not use your Travel Money Card for pre-authorisation.
It’s best to avoid using your Travel Money Card for pre-authorisation payments on things like a deposit on your hotel booking or car rental. For hotel bookings use hotels like booking.com so you can pay at check-in.
(8) When you need cash, use big bank ATM to avoid bank fees etc.
The best option is to see what your day looks like, how much money you will need, then go withdraw just enough for that day first thing in the morning.
(9) Flexible when traveling through few countries
My last trip, I had a stopover in Singapore and Dubai, I could buy food etc in local currency without having to have the money in cash.
(10) Is the card SAFE?
Card stolen or lost, all you have to do is get online and close the card. My advice not to load a big amount of money at once, because you can easily load more money on your card as you need it.
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Lovely tips.. we personally get travel money card as it really helps in quick transactions.
thanks for sharing.
Those are really valuable trips. I have followed most of them during my solo trips and have helped me to keep my cash safe.
Really nice tips, I always carry few dollars, and a travel money card. Only during my Japan visit, I had to carry more dollars, since they don’t accept traveler’s card
Lovely article and some great tips. I recently wrote an article on the same subject 🙂
Thanks for useful tips! Definitely gonna use them while traveling 🙂
Thanks for the tip. Doesn’t look like we can get a Cash Passport where I am but at least one bank here has a multi-currency account, which is also useful.
Smart tips! I would also ad caution with atms rigged to steal your card information. Always check if there is an inserted piece of plastic where you insert your card. If you see a removable plastic strip – its an illegal card reader!
Nice tips. Always good to take care of our money!
Money smart while traveling. This is needed more so when someone is a frequent traveler. Important topic impressively explained. Glad to read.
Traveler’s have to be wise in spending money. I always use my card and keep the cash in hand stored just in case some places don’t accept plastic money.
Very useful tips indeed. On our recent trip to Europe, we did the same. We carried half the money in cash and half in card. And we always used our money belt, to eliminate chances of pickpocket
Great tips! It’s so important to be conscious of these details each time we travel to ensure we end up with amazing memories … instead of regrets