Make The Most of Your Plastic Abroad

As millions of UK residents plan on heading to sunnier clime for their holidays this summer, UK credit card experts have offered tips on how best to use your plastic while on holiday overseas.

Sandra Quinn, director of communications at APACS, said: “ more and more each year our cards rank alongside passports and suncream as holiday essentials.

“ After all, we spent nearly £21bn abroad last year, and this figure is set to increase in 2006. It’s important that cardholders follow the simple advice set out in our guide and use their cards safely when abroad.”

Last year saw Britons spend a staggering £20.8bn on their plastic when overseas, according to figures released by APACS. The industry body has issued guidelines through their website, in order for Britons to get the best value possible when using their credit cards abroad.

APACS offers safety advice for cardholders and information on how to get the best deals from overseas ATM’s. Cardholders can also find advice on using credit cards in shops and restaurants.

Ms Quinn added: “ While industry initiatives, such as chip and pin, have made the life of the international card thief more difficult, we must still follow a few simple rules to make sure we are protected when on holiday.

“ Simple things like using a concealed money belt to hide our cards and checking our statements carefully on our return can make all the difference.”

Top tips from APACS include:

• Only take cards way with you that you intend to use on holiday. Leave others in a secure place at home.
• Be aware that your card and card details are as valuable to the fraudster as cash. When paying be wary of letting your card out of your sight and carefully dispose of any receipts or statements that include your details.
• Memorise your PIN and never write it down – you can change your PIN at most UK cash machines to something you can easily remember.
• You should consider informing your bank in advance if you are going to use your card(s) abroad. If your bank spots unusual spending patterns it may try to contact you to check that the transactions are genuine.

Alisdair Milton
22nd June 2006