Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
35
Note: Remember that many banks impose
a fee every time you use a car d at another
bank's ATM, and that fee can be higher for
international transactions (up to $5 or
more) than for domestic ones (wher e
they're rarely more than $3). I n addition,
the bank fr om which y ou withdraw cash
may charge its own fee. To compare banks'
ATM fees within the U.S., use www.bank
rate.com . F or international withdrawal
fees, ask your bank.
CREDIT CARDS &
DEBIT CARDS
Credit cards are the most widely used form
of payment in the United States. They also
provide a conv enient r ecord of y our
expenses and generally offer r elatively
good ex change rates. You can also with-
draw cash adv ances at banks or A
to $1,500) at most AAA offices or b y call-
ing & 866/339-3378; and MasterCard
( & 800/223-9920 ).
If you do carry traveler's checks, keep a
record of their serial numbers separate
from your checks in the event that they are
stolen or lost. You'll get a r efund faster if
you know the numbers.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR
WALLET IS LOST OR
STOLEN
Be sure to tell all of y our credit card com-
panies the minute you discover your wallet
has been lost or stolen and file a r eport at
the near est police pr ecinct. Your cr edit
card company or insur er may r equire a
police report number or record of the loss.
Most credit card companies have an emer-
gency toll-free number to call if y our card
is lost or stolen; they may be able to wir e
you a cash advance immediately or deliver
an emergency credit card in a day or two .
Visa's U.S. emergency number is & 800/
847-2911 or 410/581-9994. American
Express car dholders and trav eler's check
holders should call & 800/221-7282.
MasterCard holders should call & 800/
307-7309 or 636/722-7111. F or other
credit car ds, call the toll-fr ee number
directory at & 800/555-1212.
If y ou need emergency cash o ver the
weekend when all banks and American
Express offices ar e closed, y ou can hav e
money wir ed to y ou via Western Union
( & 800/325-6000; www .westernunion.
com).
Identity theft or fraud ar e potential
complications of losing y our wallet, espe-
cially if y ou've lost y our driv er's license
along with y our cash and cr edit car ds.
Notify the major cr edit-reporting bureaus
immediately; placing a fraud alert on your
records may pr otect y ou against liability
for criminal activity. The three major U.S.
credit-reporting agencies ar e Equifax
( & 800/685-1111; www .equifax.com),
TMs,
provided you know your PIN.
Visitors fr om outside the U.S. should
inquire whether their bank assesses a 1%
to 3% fee on charges incurr ed abroad.
It's highly recommended that you travel
with at least one major cr edit car d. You
need one to rent a car, and hotels and air-
lines usually r equire a cr edit card imprint
as a deposit against expenses.
2
TRAVELER'S CHECKS
Traveler's checks are widely accepted in the
U.S., but foreign visitors should make sure
that they're denominated in U.S. dollars;
foreign-currency checks are often difficult
to exchange.
You can buy trav eler's checks at most
banks. Most are offered in denominations
of $20, $50, $100, $500, and sometimes
$1,000. G enerally, y ou'll pay a ser
vice
charge ranging from 1% to 4%.
The most popular trav eler's checks ar e
offered b y American E xpress ( & 800/
221-7282 for car dholders—this number
exempts Amex gold and platinum car d-
holders from the 1% fee.); Visa ( & 800/
732-1322 )—AAA members can obtain
Visa checks for a $9.95 fee (for checks up
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