Here are a few tips to keep in mind when using your debit and/or credit cards away from home—whether that means in another state or another country. And remember, for assistance with your cards or to notify the bank of travel plans, please call 866-561-4090 (CheckCard) or 866-544-0953 (credit card).
Travel alerts—it's always a good idea to let your card provider know of your travel plans. Their fraud monitoring systems look for transaction anomalies and changes in usage activity; travel alerts may be considered to prevent declines or block situations especially if traveling in a foreign country—some countries automatically block signature-based point-of-sale transactions in times of high fraud activity.
Know your PIN—credit/signature point-of-sale transactions are heavily monitored for potential fraud activity and sometimes may be declined or even blocked. If this is the case, then use your CheckCard as debit/PIN. Should you have trouble using it as a credit, simply ask the merchant to process your point-of-sale transaction as a debit or PIN-based transaction and you'll have better success.
Alternative forms of payment—always travel with a back-up payment option such as another credit card and/or cash. Be sure to get the appropriate foreign currency for the country you're visiting before leaving the U.S.
Make copies—of your passport, driver's license and cards in case they're being lost or stolen.
