Money safety abroad: cards, ATMs, cash, and avoiding fraud

Which cards to bring

The right card mix

For most international travelers, the right setup is three cards split across two networks and two banks:

• Primary credit card. A no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card from a major bank. Visa or Mastercard branding. This is your main spending card.
• Backup credit card from a different network. If your primary is Visa, make this Mastercard (or vice versa). Some merchants and ATMs only support one network in some countries.
• Debit card with low or zero ATM fees abroad. Schwab, Fidelity, Wise, Revolut, and several online-only banks offer this. Use it only for ATM withdrawals, never for retail purchases (debit cards have weaker fraud protection than credit).

What to do before you leave

• Notify each issuer of travel dates and destinations. Even with modern fraud detection, mid-trip card freezes still happen. Most banks accept a notification through their app.
• Confirm contactless tap is enabled. Many destinations are tap-first; chip-and-PIN is fine; magnetic-stripe is the riskiest.
• Record your card issuers’ international collect-call numbers. Save them in your phone notes and on a paper card stored separately from your wallet:
  • Visa global emergency assistance: +1 (303) 967-1090
  • Mastercard global service: +1 (636) 722-7111
  • American Express: +1 (336) 393-1111
• Set up alerts for any transaction above $1 or all transactions, depending on the issuer. Push notifications are faster than email.
• Check daily spending and withdrawal limits and raise them temporarily if your trip will involve large hotel bills or guided tours paid in cash.

ATMs: how to use them without getting cloned

Choose the right ATM

• Use ATMs inside bank branches during business hours. If something looks tampered with, you have staff to talk to.
• Bank-network ATMs over standalone ones. Standalone ATMs in convenience stores, gas stations, and tourist areas are the highest-cloning-risk machines.
• Avoid airport arrival ATMs if you can. The rates are often poor and the surrounding area is dense with skimmer activity in some countries.
• Avoid ATMs at night, especially in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Cash-grab incidents at ATMs are night-skewed.

Before inserting your card

• Wiggle the card slot. Skimmer overlays are usually slightly loose. A real card slot is rigid.
• Look for an obvious tampered overlay around the slot — mismatched color, extra plastic, glued-on edges.
• Check the keypad. Hidden overlay keypads are sometimes thicker than they should be, or have a slight gap at the edges.
• Cover the PIN entry with your other hand. Even pinhole cameras can’t see your PIN if you cover the keypad.

When the machine offers options

• Choose “decline” on Dynamic Currency Conversion if the ATM offers to charge your home currency instead of the local one. DCC quietly adds 3–7% to the transaction.
• Choose “without conversion” or “local currency” if the wording is ambiguous.
• Don’t let staff or strangers help with the machine. Walk away and find another ATM if you can’t operate it alone.

Cash strategy

• Carry less than you think you need. Most modern destinations are card-friendly; cash-only situations are taxis, tips, small markets, and rural areas.
• Split your cash. One small wad in an accessible pocket for daily use, a larger emergency reserve in your hotel safe, and a small “decoy” in your wallet so a mugging doesn’t reveal your full cash position.
• Don’t count cash in public. Especially not at the airport or train station on arrival.
• Currency-exchange counters at airports are usually the worst rates. The best rates are typically local ATMs in major cities; the second-best are reputable in-city exchange offices.
• Recognize what currency you have. Some destinations have two parallel currency systems (Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina at times), where one is significantly less valuable. Confirm before accepting change.

Common payment-side scams

Bill swap and short-change

• Bill swap. You hand over a 50, the cashier swaps it under the counter and presents a 5, claiming you only gave a 5. Defense: announce the denomination clearly as you hand it over and watch their hands.
• Short-change. Common in tourist taxis — you receive change but it’s short by one bill. Count change before walking away.
• Wrong-currency change. The receiver gives you change in a less-valuable currency than the one you paid in.

Dynamic Currency Conversion

The single most common money-loss for travelers, accepted at restaurants, hotels, taxis, and ATMs in many countries. The terminal asks “do you want to be charged in your home currency?” The answer is always no. Choosing “yes” lets the merchant set the exchange rate and add a markup; your card’s own conversion (Visa/Mastercard interbank rate) is much better.

Closed-loop merchant cards

In some markets — particularly Latin American restaurants and bars — staff disappears with your card to a back-office terminal. Insist on the terminal coming to you (modern mobile terminals support this) or pay in cash.

Tap-and-grab on contactless

A small portable terminal can charge contactless cards in a bag. Defense: an RFID-blocking sleeve or wallet for your cards.

Tour-operator dual pricing

Some tour operators offer a “today only” cash discount that’s actually the regular price, with the “regular” price marked up for the discount theater. Compare prices online for the same operator before agreeing.

For a comprehensive list of scams beyond money ones, see our travel scam guide.

If your cards or cash are stolen or lost

1. Cancel cards immediately. Use the issuer’s mobile app or call the international collect-call number. Card freezes apply within minutes once the call connects.
2. File a police report. Required for any insurance claim.
3. Notify your travel insurance within 24 hours (most policies have a reporting window).
4. If you have a backup card stored separately, use it for immediate cash and essential purchases.
5. Receive emergency wire transfer via Western Union, MoneyGram, Wise, or bank-to-bank transfer. See our stranded-abroad playbook for full numbers and options.
6. Request a replacement card sent to your hotel. Most issuers can ship internationally within 2–5 business days.
7. Watch your accounts for any transactions made between the theft and the freeze. Most issuers reverse fraudulent charges within 1–2 weeks if disputed promptly.

Specific country gotchas

• Argentina: dual exchange rate (official vs “blue dollar”) means that ATMs give you 30–50% worse rates than informal exchange. Bring USD cash for in-country exchange, or use Western Union which pays the blue rate.
• Japan: still cash-heavy outside major chains. Bring more cash than other developed-country destinations.
• Germany / Austria: many smaller restaurants and shops are cash-only. Tap-to-pay penetration is lower than in the UK or US.
• Iran, Cuba, North Korea: US-issued cards do not work at all. Bring euros or yen in cash.
• India: use the Bharat QR / UPI system if possible; foreign cards work but are often the slowest path. ATMs commonly out of cash on weekends.
• UK: chip-and-PIN is the default; American mag-stripe cards sometimes fail. Bring a card with a current chip.

Related guides

• Travel scam guide
• Travel safety checklist
• What to do if stranded abroad
• Digital security for travelers
• Airport arrival safety
• Run a personalized assessment