Here’s
how to shop safely while travelling.
Scandinavians are travelling as never before, and we love lazy days on holiday and good times
with family. Most people want to indulge themselves a little extra during the holiday
and usually loosen up on tight everyday budgets.
With
a credit card, you can take out money as needed during the holiday. Indeed, you
should actually pay all holiday expenses with a credit card, as this is the
most secure payment method abroad. It is, in fact, extra important to shop
safely when you travel beyond the Norwegian border.
Here
are some simple tips for safe card use:
1)
Prepare yourself before departure
Check the expiry date for the credit card. Make a copy of the card and your
passport, and keep the copies in a separate and secure location. Write down
telephone numbers you will have to ring if you lose your credit card or have it
stolen.
2)
Don’t have your wallet in your back pocket
Tourists attract itchy-fingered
pickpockets. Keep your wallet in a safe place during the entire trip,
preferably in a money belt. Then you will avoid losing all means of payment if
someone runs off with your handbag while checking in at the airport or at the
bus stop.
3)
Don’t bet everything on one card
Don’t go on holiday with your card and cash in the same place. If you lose the
hand luggage or suitcase where the card is being kept, then you will have a big
problem. Always keep a credit card in your hand luggage and a reserve card in
your suitcase. Then you will avoid losing everything simultaneously.
4)
Put the card back
It’s easy to be a little distracted once you arrive at your destination. If you
take the card out of your wallet to pay for something and then toss the card
back in your handbag or loosely in your pocket, it’s easy for others to get
hold of the card without you noticing it. Always remember to put the card back
in your wallet after use!
5)
Buy with a credit card
The safest thing is to use a credit card when purchasing abroad, instead of a debit
card. Then you avoid having your account emptied in a few minutes if someone
steals the card or gets hold of the card information.
6)
Accompany the server
Never let the server take the card
behind the counter and away from where you are located. Instead, go with the
server over to the payment terminal if it is somewhere else on the premises.
That way you can make sure the whole time that no one misuses the card or the card
information.
7)
Check the receipt
You are responsible for the entire amount
of the purchase, and therefore it is important to check that the receipt is
right. Check that the total amount is filled out before you pay. Then you avoid
unpleasant surprises afterwards.
8)
Avoid having loose cards in the hotel room
If you leave the card in your hotel room, you should avoid tossing it on the
night stand or other unsafe locations. Use a safe deposit box or safe.
9)
Save receipts
Keep all receipts when you are shopping or out eating. Then you can check these
against the account statement and bill when you come home.
10)
Don’t write down PIN codes
If you are going to take out local
currency from an automated teller machine on the trip, you should have learned
the PIN code by heart. A slip with written codes can easily come into the wrong
hands.
Be
alert – en route and afterwards!
Take care that no one is watching you
when you take out money. Don’t wave the card and money around either, when you
are done with a cash withdrawal. It can be tempting for pickpockets.
Remember
that you can check all fees that are charged to the credit card after the
holiday is over. Check that the amounts are correct on the bill before you pay
it. If you find something that looks strange, or you have been charged too
much, contact the card issuer.