How Travel cards are more helpful than cash

Posted by Charlie Dsoza on February 8th, 2019

How Travel cards are more helpful than cash

There was a period in your life when you consider your traveler’s cheque your best companion when visiting a different country. It is hard to forget that bulky package of cheques that was supposedly the safest means of carrying money to another country. However, those days are history all thanks to newer technology. Technology has made better tools than what traveler’s cheque can offer in the sense of having access to instant cash.

For instance, travel cards are more convenient for most travelers; nevertheless, getting the right card for your adventure requires some research. Carrying some amount of physical cash will be handy considering the fact that some establishments don’t accept travel cards. However, these cards come handy when traveling to a foreign country.

Why travel cards are important?

Financial institutions are responsible for selling travel cards. At times, they come loaded with foreign currencies, which enable you to make purchase overseas while making a withdrawal at the ATM. With travel cards, you have the advantage of locking the exchange rate for the fund loaded in such card. Some card comes with a multi-currency option that allows you to use two different currencies on a single card. If you are using a currency different from the country you visited, the funds will be exchanged at the current rate of the market. If you travel frequently, it will be wise to get a multi-currency card so as not to get high currency conversion rates.

However, there is nothing as currency variation if you are using the same currency as that of the country. Nevertheless, if your funds are exhausted and you have other currencies, the amount will be deducted using a new online forex exchange rate and conversion fees.

Travel cards are extremely safer when compared to traveler cheques because they aren’t linked to any regular bank account. Additionally, it comes protected with a PIN and chip. For security purposes, it is advisable to always have a spare card in case of emergencies.

Be cautious with your transactions

When going overseas, ensure you contact your card provider about your decision. Card providers are frequently looking out for forgeries and once they notice any sudden transaction, such card may be deactivated. Therefore, it is always better to inform your card provider before traveling. Although most travel cards come secured and protected, in order not to be a victim of fraudulent activity, you still have to buzz your card provider. Remember when you are in Rome, you behave like the Romans. Ironically, you have to convert your currency to the local currency of the country you are visiting especially if you don’t want to pay higher currency conversion rates.

Take note of these few things and your journey with your travel card can be the best holiday you have ever had.

Author’s Bio

Eric Bail in this article looks at the importance of travel cards in traveling to a foreign country. He further highlighted that if your funds are exhausted and you have other currencies, the amount will be deducted using a new online forex exchange rate and conversion fees.