How Do You Protect Your Credit Cards While Traveling Abroad?

Short answer: Carry fewer cards, split them between two places, use a phone wallet where you can, keep contactless cards in a blocker, and watch your accounts daily. Travel puts you in crowded, unfamiliar places with a wallet full of cards, which is exactly when a little preparation pays off.

Key takeaways

• Bring only the cards you need and keep a backup card in a separate place.
• Contactless payments are common abroad, so your cards are likely contactless too.
• Crowded transit and tourist hot spots are the places to be extra careful.
• Set up transaction alerts before you leave.

What should you do before you leave?

1. Tell your bank you are traveling so legitimate charges are less likely to be flagged.
2. Turn on instant alerts for every transaction.
3. Save your banks' customer service numbers somewhere other than your wallet, so you can reach them if a card is lost or compromised.
4. Pick two cards instead of six, and keep one in your hotel safe or a separate bag.

How do you protect cards during the trip?

1. Use a blocker in your wallet. Most modern cards are contactless, so a tested blocking card helps in packed trains, airports, and festivals. SignalVault protects against wireless scanning of contactless cards.
2. Use ATMs inside bank branches when possible and cover the keypad.
3. Prefer your phone wallet for tap payments and keep the physical card tucked away.

What if something looks wrong?

Freeze or lock the card in your bank's app first, then call the number on the back of the card or your backup card's bank. For warning signs, read How to Tell If You've Been Skimmed.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to use contactless payments abroad?

Tap-to-pay uses one-time transaction codes, which is a security advantage over swiping. The risk to manage is the wireless exposure of the card itself in crowds, which a blocker addresses.

Should I bring my debit card overseas?

If you do, keep it for ATM use only and use a credit card for purchases. Credit cards usually offer stronger fraud protections than debit cards, but check your own card's terms.

Does an RFID blocker work in other countries?

Contactless payment cards worldwide generally use the same 13.56 MHz standard, the frequency SignalVault was tested at, so the same protection applies.

Pack it with your passport: the SignalVault RFID Blocking Card Protector (2-Pack) is $20 and slim enough to forget it is there. Orders ship within 2 business days, and U.S. orders over $25 ship free.