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That’s it, summer vacation is here! But before leaving for France or on the other side of the world, some checks relating to your bank card are necessary. The 5 pitfalls to avoid.
Par MoneyVox,
For holidays as in everyday life, the use of the bank card is now essential. However, certain precautions should be taken to avoid being blocked during a trip in France or abroad. Payment refused, withdrawal impossible, card unusable… these situations are already unpleasant at home, but even more annoying when you are away from your home and your bank. Here are the top 5 mistakes, and ways to avoid them.
1. Omit payment and withdrawal limits…
Deposit, rental of accommodation, fuel, outings… holidays generate many costs, sometimes well beyond the level of current household expenses. However, all bank cards are subject to limits for withdrawals and payments, ie a maximum amount that can be used over a given period (one day, one week, 30 days, etc.). To prevent withdrawals or payments from being refused for this reason, it may be appropriate to ask your bank advisor to increase these limits, or to increase them yourself on your mobile application. Note that the ceilings may differ for operations carried out abroad.
2. …and associated costs abroad!
Outside the euro zone, the fees charged by banks during payments or withdrawals can be downright dissuasive. Each establishment has its own policy in this area, and it is therefore essential to refer to the tariff leaflet of your bank to know the exact amount of the costs for transactions carried out abroad with your bank card. Making a single and unique withdrawal instead of several can thus save on the fixed fees charged. On average, such an operation costs 5.59 euros outside the euro zone according to the estimates of the
site d’information MoneyVox
and 2.91 euros for payment by card.
3. Forgetting to tell your bank advisor
Banks are particularly vigilant about the risk of credit card fraud. Abnormally high transactions and/or transactions carried out from abroad can arouse suspicion and encourage the bank adviser to block the bank card. A necessary security measure, but which can be detrimental when you are on vacation. Before leaving, an e-mail or a phone call to your bank branch can thus make it possible to warn of your destination and to avoid this type of situation.
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4. Not checking the expiration date of your bank card
All blue cards have a limited validity period, generally fixed between 2 and 3 years depending on the establishment. When this deadline approaches, the banks send a new card to their customers, very often by mail. But on vacation, impossible to get it back! If the bank card concerned expires, it is then no longer possible to use it, whether to withdraw, to pay in store or to make purchases online. Before leaving, it is therefore strongly advised to check the date that appears on your bank card, and to request an early renewal from your bank if necessary.
5. Not thinking about insuring your means of payment
There is an insurance that we too often forget: that associated with his bank card. However, this guarantee makes it possible to cover a large number of events. For a departure on summer vacation, some cards thus offer coverage when renting a vehicle or booking a flight. To benefit from it, you must nevertheless have made the payment by means of the bank card concerned. The level of guarantees offered varies according to the card network (Mastercard or Visa) and the type of card (classic, high-end, very high-end).