Travel Safety Tips

Use these helpful tips to enjoy your travel and avoid financial fraud.

travel-safety-tips

Prepare now and leave the worry at home. 

Planning a big trip? First of all, have fun! Secondly, be sure to protect yourself from fraud and financial crime before you leave. NASB has fraud prevention practices in place, but the best way to avoid fraudulent activity while away from home is to prepare before you leave. To assist you in planning, NASB has prepared a list of travel safety frequently asked questions to help keep you and your money protected while you travel.

Please let NASB know of your travel plans before departing.

You’ll want copies of your passport, driver’s license, and all credit and debit cards. (Front and back.) It’s a good idea to make at least two copies, one to take with you, and one to leave with a trusted friend at home.

Due to fraudulent activity, NASB may block ATM and debit transactions in some foreign countries. Even if you’re traveling within the United States, it’s still a good idea to let us know your plans. Increasing debit card fraud has made it necessary for us to restrict card activity in some states and with some retailers. Check with NASB to make sure that your card won’t be declined.

While there is no one “best way," you should have multiple ways to purchase items. Make sure that you’re not relying on one bank card or method of payment. Take at least two different debit and/or credit cards that access different accounts. Make sure you know your PIN number for both your debit and credit cards and keep enough foreign currency on hand for small purchases. NASB debit cards have a $3,000 per day limit for purchases and $500 per day limit for ATM withdrawals; emergency limit increases are possible. Please speak to a personal banker before you travel for complete details.

Keep in mind that hotels and rental car agencies may place holds against available funds until check-out; those funds may be unavailable to you though you have not been charged yet.

We recommend setting up NASB’s Online Banking prior to departing.

Furthermore, it’s recommended that you set up a telephone password with your NASB Personal Banker before you leave. This allows NASB to verify transactions, make account transfers, and manage standard banking procedures with you over the phone. Stop by your NASB branch and speak with a Personal Banker about enabling this service today.

Look for an ATM that prominently displays the VISA, Star, Plus, or Mastercard logos. Be aware that foreign ATMs may charge both ATM fees as well as currency exchange fees, substantially increasing your purchase amount; Visa charges our customers a 1% fee for each debit or ATM transaction done internationally. Be sure to check with your travel adviser for any country-specific rules – some countries only allow PIN-based transactions. NASB does not track these countries, and they may not appear on our list of blocked countries.

As always, when using an ATM, be cautious and aware of your surroundings. If there’s a crowd around your preferred ATM, find another one. If the ATM is in a booth, do not allow anyone else in the booth when you are withdrawing cash; if someone else is in the booth, do not enter until they exit.

Generally speaking, yes. However, keep in mind that processors may charge a flat conversion or foreign transaction fee, hypothetically a three dollar purchase could cost you twenty dollars or more once completely processed! If you’re worried about carrying large amounts of cash, flat fees are relatively insignificant on large ticket purchases. Be aware that Visa charges our customers a 1% fee for each debit or ATM transaction done internationally.

Sign up for NASB’s Online Banking. It’s free, and not only does it allow you to monitor your account activity from abroad, it also gives you the ability to set up and automatically pay bills online. Keep your receipts so you have a paper trail of your purchases. If you notice suspicious activity while abroad, contact us as soon as possible so we can take action to help protect your accounts.