Do not forget to notify your credit card company when you are traveling. It would be unfortunate if your card was flagged for possible fraud and you were out of town or even out of the country. Bring 2 cards with you for this reason.
Debit Cards – use at ATMs to get local currency, conversion rates for the day’s activity are used. Make sure you know if there are any fees.
Credit Cards – Companies do not have to use the current day’s exchange rate and you may pay a higher exchange rate than you anticipated. Also, some companies charge a fee for this service.
When looking for a travel card, look at your local credit unions. Our local credit union does not charge a currency exchange fee. Also, the Visa Check Card can act as either a debit card or a credit card. If you don’t already have an account at a credit union, open one and use it just for travel. Our local credit union can now print your Debit Card on-site. Since Credit Unions are actually owned by the users, they usually do not have fees or have much lower fees.
updated 11/8/23