In Reply to: Credit card warning posted by smurf on Thursday, 27. July 2006 at 20:21 Bali Time:
inform your bank before you leave what dates you will be away & what countries you are visiting.It sure is sometimes hard to protect yourself & frustrating that we have to go these measures these days due to widespread credit card fraud & skimming.
I think it also vital not to let your card out of your site whilst any doing any credit card transactions,make sure that you keep copies of any transactions made while you are away & very carefully check your statement when you get home.
I recently half expected to run into problems when using my credit card in Singapore.As many of you know on our last trip due to health issues I had to stay in Bali longer than I had planned.I also had to come home via Singapore & spent considerable time there on a stopover before I flew back to Oz.I did several transactions on my credit card when in Singapore but because when I originally left Australia I didn't know I was ever going to end up there I was a bit concerned.
Prior to leaving we had told our banks when we were going & for how long & Singapore was certainly not on the agenda at that stage.I suppose if I had ran into problems I could have contacted my husband who was back in Australia by this time & organised for him to contact the bank.But it does make you think that the best laid plans can really become unstuck !
In hindsight I look back & think what if I had ran into problems & my credit card was declined because the bank had only been told that we were going to be in Indonesia,what if I tried to call my husband & he was not home or it was afterhours in Oz & the banks main contact numbers were closed for the day.
The best laid plans can (could have)gone astray( for me),sometimes with credit cards as with anything in life - you are damned if you do & damned if you don't !