Summer vacations short on mileage
Summer's finally here. Some of you might be thinking about vacation, but you're in the minority, according to a survey by Chase Card Services.
It found that only 41 percent of Americans are likely to take a vacation this summer. Of those, many said they intend to stay close to home or to stay with friends and family to save money.
The big driver: gas prices. According to the study, 25 percent of Americans are changing their travel plans due to the current cost of gasoline, now an average $3.83 a gallon for regular in Washington, up nearly 30 percent from last summer.
"Chip and pin" credit cards
For those of you who have a foreign trip planned, this cautionary tale comes from Coupeville resident Nancy Paris.
During a two-week trip to England, neither she nor her daughter could find a retailer who would accept their credit cards.
Merchants who sign up with Visa and MasterCard agree to accept cards from anywhere in the world. But travelers report increasing problems using U.S.-issued credit cards in Europe as most countries have converted from a magnetic stripe and signature verification system to cards that combine embedded processing chips with personal identification numbers (chip and pin).
Visa and MasterCard have up until now insisted there are ways for merchants to accept both, saying they just need to be educated. In the meantime, travelers such as Paris are stuck.
The good news is a few banks are starting to own up to the problem.
Wells Fargo is testing a new Visa Smart Card with chip and pin technology and a magnetic stripe for use in the U.S. and abroad. JPMorgan Chase is issuing a chip-signature card to holders of its Palladium Visa, and U.S. Bank is issuing a similar card to its travel-rewards customers. There's a catch, however: The cards come with an annual fee that may not be worth it, depending on how much you travel.
What's been your experience using credit cards abroad? Leave your comments online next to this column at www.seattletimes.com/travel.
Visa Travel Money Card - News
The Sapphire card joins Chase's existing offerings that don't charge the annoying fees, including its British Airways Visa Signature Card, the Hyatt Card and the Priority Club Select Visa Card. Capital One offers several cards with no foreign exchange
Cheques were guaranteed against loss and available in many currencies. Today, the card has won that battle… Visa and MasterCard have captured the world," notes Steve Gregory, managing partner at Holborn Assets. Also, with plastic money, you can get
JPMorgan Chase is issuing a chip-signature card to holders of its Palladium Visa, and US Bank is issuing a similar card to its travel-rewards customers. There's a catch, however: The cards come with an annual fee that may not be worth it, depending on
For credit cards, it is wise to do a bit of research to find out which ones can work in your favour in terms of transaction and other related charges. Other travel experts recommend American Express, Diners, Visa and MasterCard.
The market leading pre-paid cards for use abroad are from FairFX and CaxtonFX. Other providers include ICE and the Post Office, which has also just launched a new Travel Money Card Plus, with an ATM cash withdrawal charge of €2, $2.50 or £1.50.
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Why the card is good for travel
The Visa Travel Money Card is one of the ideal prepaid cards that you can use overseas due to some of the FDIC benefits and how quickly you can get another one issued if the card is lost or stolen. The card features emergency card replacement and emergency card disbursement which will allow you to get a new card or cash off of the card within one business day no matter what part of the world you are in. Having this added benefit will provide security when traveling overseas and this is not offered through traditional bank accounts.
Simple reload. You can easily add money to your Visa Travel Money Card from anywhere that you are. You can add cash to the card through phone, online, or transfer money from your regular bank account. The Visa Travel Card works with your bank account and is not meant to replace it.
Purchase security. Within the first 90 days of having the card, purchase security will replace or reimburse you for certain items with a maximum of $500 per claim. This can be in the event that your items are damaged, destroyed or stolen. All claims are decided by a benefits administrator, but this is one perk that we have not seen offered by any type of card before.
Lost luggage reimbursement. Visa will reimburse you for any lost luggage up to $250 per trip or $1,000 for every registered card holder. You do not need to have purchased the items with the Visa Travel Money Card, but the bags must have been checked in by the Airline or other carrier. Just another reason why Visa Travel Money is the way to go when visiting a foreign country.
How to Report Your Card Lost or StolenDepending on where you are traveling to, there may be a good chance for fraud or for your money card to be lost or stolen. If you are ever having any issues or you think you may be the victim of fraudulent purchases you can get the card cancelled and reissued immeidately and you are not responsible for those charges.
If you are in the United States call – 1800-VISA-911
or
If you are outside the United States call 1-303-967-1096
Where to buy a Visa Travel Money Card?
You can purchase a Visa Travel Card either in person or online. There are many different locations to pick one up and the best way is to use the Visa locator to find the closest store near you. Visa TravelMoney is available at a variety of grocery stores and other fine retailers. The Visa website says that you can buy them online, but currently at this time there are no online vendors for the card. When Visa updates this, I will add it to this post.
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