Suzanne S. often travels for work, and like many airline travelers, she grabs meals during layovers in airports.
One day, she was flying from Boston to Denver with a layover in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
So, in Chicago, Suzanne purchased some trail-mix and a drink at an airport newsstand.
Unknown to Suzanne, a man sat a few feet away on his laptop.
But he wasn’t working on his laptop…
Instead, the man was using computer software to collect every piece of credit card information being used at the newsstand checkout.
Then, a few days after her layover in Chicago, Suzanne’s bank called and asked if she had spent $800 on car stereo equipment in Chicago.
She told her bank that, no, during her 90-minute layover in Chicago, she had not taken the time to go buy a new car stereo system.
To make matters worse, her credit card was also used at a South American casino, and later, it was used to purchase home furnishings.
Luckily, Suzanne’s bank put a stop to the charges, and she didn’t lose any money.
But, like many Americans, Suzanne had to go through the headache of getting a new card and making sure none of her other accounts were compromised.
Plus, she doesn’t have a lot of credit cards, so when she was on vacation, she was limited to using her other card that hadn’t been stolen.
Every year, more than 62 million Americans have their credit card number stolen.
And this experience is often made more stressful if it occurs when you are traveling, as it did with Suzanne.
It’s frustrating to spend your vacation on the phone with your bank to make sure your funds are safe.
Plus, when you are traveling, you may not be able to walk into a bank branch and talk to someone in person like you can in your hometown.
When your banking information is stolen, you feel angry and violated, however, there is often very little you can do except wait for the bank to fix the problem.
As you prepare for any summer vacations this year, be careful when going through busy terminals and juggling suitcases while you dig for your boarding pass.
Thieves take advantage of people in harried or stressful situations, like trying to multitask while hurrying to catch a flight.
Considering this, here are a few ways you can protect your credit or debit cards while traveling this summer.
Lock your cards:
These days, credit cards have apps that you can log into and instantly see the information you need about any charges you’ve made.
In addition, many credit card apps allow you to temporarily lock the card with a single tap.
So, if you are traveling, you can lock and unlock the card as you go.
This way, you can protect the card from fraudulent use when you aren’t using it – say, when you’re on a plane.
It’s a simple habit that can prevent a big headache.
If someone tries to use their credit card when it’s locked, the transaction will be declined.
Contactless payments:
Apple Pay and Google Pay are both ways to make contactless payments, which is more secure than swiping a credit card.
Apple or Google payments create one-time-use codes for every transaction and the card isn’t shared with the retailer.
Since they don’t collect the card number, it lowers the risk of the card data being stolen.
Plus, if you use contactless payments from a smartphone, you don’t even have to produce the physical card.
Which means there is no risk of the physical card being lost or stolen.
Don’t use the ATM:
When traveling, avoid using ATMs – they are notorious for skimming devices that steal your information.
If you must get cash out, it’s best to go into a physical bank instead of using an ATM
Even better, you should plan out how much cash you will likely need for the trip.
Then take the cash out of your bank before you leave or get traveler’s checks.
This way, there shouldn’t be any reason to use an ATM while traveling.
Set up spending alerts:
As I mentioned earlier, credit cards have apps, and you can set up alerts on the mobile apps to inform you of every single transaction.
When you turn on transaction alerts, you will be notified the instant the card is used.
If you receive a notification for a charge you didn’t make, you can instantly lock the card in the app and prevent further purchases.
Sure, it can be annoying to constantly receive alerts.
But, when you are traveling, it’s worth the annoyance to make sure that your card is not being fraudulently used.
Another great idea is to contact your bank before leaving on your trip and let them know of your travel plans.
This way, the bank won’t prevent legitimate purchases.
Also, review your credit card statements regularly to make sure there weren’t unauthorized purchases.
Traveling with credit cards shouldn’t be stressful.
By planning your spending methods before you leave, you can save yourself from the stress of having your card numbers stolen.
But you shouldn’t limit your information protection plans to travel time.
You need a proven, comprehensive plan to protect you and your family’s personal and private information online.
