travelbite.co.uk Logo
 | News feeds | Join the mailing list

News Story

Tips for holiday credit card security

Thursday, 04 Sep 2008 14:57
Make sure your credit card doesn't stay on the road once your holiday is over with these top tips for protecting against credit card fraud.

As the number of UK travellers falling victim to credit card fraud soars to 77 per cent in 2008, people need to get into the habit of regularly monitoring their bank statements for irregular transactions, warns Essential Travel.

"The majority of travellers take great care of their valuables when they're overseas", says Stephen Smith, the online travel insurance specialist's financial director.

"But the problem with credit card fraud is you don’t realise you've been a victim until weeks, sometimes even months later."

"The longer credit card fraud is left, the harder it is to sort it out," he concluded.

Here is a checklist for protecting against holiday credit card fraud:

  • Check your bank statement regularly.

  • Be aware of the exchange rate in the country you are visiting.

  • Check and calculate the amount you are being charged in each transaction.

  • Make sure your credit/debit card company has up-to-date contact details for you, in case of anomalies in your spending habits.

  • Programme your credit card company's emergency number into your phone, so you can quickly contact them if your card is stolen.

  • Don't leave your card behind the bar.

  • Register for online banking so you can monitor your statement daily.

Your travel bites... 

Have you been here? Share your experiences and recommendations with travelbite.co.uk readers.


  • Fraud crimes will get worse until banks make signature and PIN systems reliable as proposed on website www.xwave.co.uk Why would anyone get tempted to do identity fraud when they know that their signature personalised with their ID sticker will expose their identity? Current signature system does not even expose person's gender and so boosts identity fraud. Only this system will deter use of fake documents. Why would anyone get tempted to use stolen or skimmed cards when they know that they will not be able to activate the transaction without new security code which will change to a new value after every transaction? This system will also eliminate the need for us to protect our personal an card details since fraudsters will not be tempted to misuse these stolen details. Organisations would make their customers personalise signatures by letting them use mobile phone size device which will capture image and activate printer to print their ID sticker virtually instantly. Proposed system will deter virtually all fraud crimes including those Chip and PIN, data protection and even biometric ID cards will not deter. This KEY and PIN system could be treated like international ID card since it will personalise signature and PIN to the right individual in any country in the world. To protect the public and entire business industry from becoming victims of fraud government and banks should act now and exploit proposed system before it is too late to stop a fraud crunch which will be far worse than credit crunch.
    Roger (London)

Name 

Town/Country 

Your email 

Your comment 

Enter the text shown to the right

Features 

Related features 

Latest features 

  • Last minute Cornish Christmas cottages

    Last minute cottages in Cornwall this Christmas Home to some of the UK's most spectacular coastline, lush green countryside and fascinating fishing towns – including Falmouth, St Ives and St Austell – it is no wonder Cornwall is among the most popular destinations in the country.  More...