Holiday Travel Tips

The holidays are fast approaching—that means lots of shopping, get-togethers and maybe even holiday travel. If you are planning a trip for the holidays, plan ahead and read through our checklist below to help you travel smart, and avoid common financial issues while traveling.

Tips For Traveling Smart

Lock your luggage and valuables out of sight in the trunk or glove box if you are traveling by car. Rates of theft may rise during the holiday season, especially in popular destinations, because thieves know people are traveling with valuables. When you make pit stops, avoid leaving the car unattended and remove all your belongings from the vehicle once you reach your destination.
Don’t carry all your money in one place and have multiple payment options. If you are going out for the day, leave some cash and a card in your hotel safe. If something happens while you are out, you will still have other forms of payment for the rest of the trip.
Protect your money from pickpockets and RFID (radio frequency identification) skimmers. Areas dense with tourists are a playground for criminals targeting innocent travelers’ money and information. Use a money belt or store your cash and cards in a hard-to-reach area to protect yourself from pickpockets. Criminals also use RFID skimmers to pick up card information in seconds, even while inside a bag or pocket. To protect yourself, use a wallet or purse with an RFID-blocking feature.
Be skeptical of public WiFi. Even though using public WiFi is sometimes essential while traveling, refrain from accessing any financial or personal information while connected.
If you feel like your card has been compromised, stolen, or lost, or call your financial institution as soon as you can. Blocking and unblocking your card is easy, so even if you don’t know if you lost or temporarily misplaced it, it’s better to be on the safe side and block your card while you look for it.

Don't Forget to Set Up Your Account(s) for Travel

Easily Set a Travel Notice in Digital Banking
Let us know you're traveling (at least 24 hours before leaving), especially if you plan to travel internationally. You may be able to avoid scenarios where your transaction is blocked. Depending on where you are, you may not be able to reach us because of WiFi or cellular service issues, if it’s outside normal business hours in your home time zone, or if it's a major holiday. Plan a smoother vacation by simply notifying us of your destination and travel dates before leaving.
Add your Debit and/or Credit Card to your Mobile Wallet
When you add your card to your mobile wallet, you can use ApplePay^®, GooglePay^TM, or Samsung Pay^® to securely use your card from your phone or mobile device. This method of payment is an added layer of security, plus it's a great backup should you find yourself without your wallet while traveling.
Customize Your Account Alerts for Travel
Set up alerts in digital banking based on your travel needs. For example, if you plan on only using WiFi on your trip or don’t think the cell service will be good, set alerts to email or push notifications (versus text) so you can receive the alert once you connect to WiFi. Additionally, setting alerts for certain spending thresholds is an excellent tool for budget management.

The more you plan, the smoother and safer your travels will be so that you can enjoy your holiday!