Very often, people who like to teach financial journalists how to live and write articles show themselves to be complete ignoramuses in everyday financial matters. For example, a well-known PR woman from a large retail banking system talked about her visit to a bank. She decided to top up her card account before her vacation. The woman was going on vacation in March, and on her card it was clearly written that the card's validity period was until the third month of 2004. “Tell me,” she asked the teller, “will my card work on March 5 in Spain?” The teller answered in the affirmative. Imagine the PR woman's amazement when the ATM refused to give her money, and sellers in Spanish stores explained in broken English that her card was not usable for one simple reason - it had expired, which was honestly written on the card! “How can this be?” the lady indignantly said upon returning home. “I asked the teller, and she promised me that the card would work!”
Check how much money is in your account
In financial matters, do not trust words. Trust what is written on the card. And when going on vacation, check whether your card is still valid. If it is, then look at the balance of money in your account and add funds to the card if you decide that you need more for the trip than the amount currently available. And feel free to hit the road.
True, before the trip, still check whether your card says “for use only in Ukraine/Russia.” As experts note, a number of socially oriented banks issue cards of international payment systems that can only be used within the country. Such cards include, for example, pension and salary cards of certain banks.
Which card to choose?
It is another matter if you do not have a card and do not have the necessary information. To resolve this issue, you must clearly know which country you want to go to. If to Europe, then it is better to contact a bank that maintains card accounts in euros. If to the United States or third-world countries, then a card whose account is kept in US dollars will work quite normally there. In Europe, your dollar card will also be accepted, but there you can lose money on the difference in exchange rates between the dollar and the euro.
It is better to take care of getting a card in advance. A classic card of any international payment system will take the bank about a week to issue, at least five working days. A classic payment card is considered one that can be used to pay in the trade and service network. That is, the card must bear the owner's last name and first name, their signature, and at least eight digits of the card account. If there is no time left to get such a card, you can use the service of rapid card issuance - such cards do not indicate the owner's name (in fact, a bearer card). Many banks issue them today. But such a card is intended only for withdrawing cash from an ATM - naturally, if your name is not on the card, you will not be able to prove to a store seller that it belongs to you.
Is it time to run for a card?
“Signs of the approaching vacation season are already there,” says Pavel Azov, head of the payment systems department at one of the banks. “Usually seasonal demand lasts from April to September, and during this period it increases by about 20%.” Therefore, if you are used to clearly planning everything in advance in life, take care of your card right now.
Do banks keep track of countries where it is not recommended to use cards in the retail network, that is, countries where there is a high probability that the money from your payment card will simply be stolen? “Of course, such tracking exists,” the banker notes. “In addition, information of this kind is the prerogative of payment systems in accordance with the Issuer Monitoring Standards program.” That is, payment systems themselves inform banks about cases of card fraud in all countries that accept them for payment for goods and services.
Today, the black list, according to official statistics, includes Nigeria, Southeast Asia and, sad as it may be, Ukraine.
What general recommendations do banks give to clients who say that the card is being opened for use abroad? As Izvestia.Ru notes, client caution is the cornerstone of their safety. The main recommendation is not to let the card out of your sight when you pay with it in retail outlets.