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A credit card is convenient and less cumbersome than cash when you're in a foreign country, but it has the potential to incur fees or cause other issues without a little know-how or pre-planning.
That's what We3travel.com blogger Tamara Gruber discovered on a trip to Spain with her husband and then 8-year-old daughter. She had forgotten to alert her credit card issuer that she was going to be traveling internationally, Gruber says, and when she tried to purchase a SIM card in Barcelona to use her cell phone, her card was declined.
"It was a true Catch-22 situation in that we couldn't buy the SIM card without our credit card, and we couldn't make a call to get the charge approved without a SIM card," she says. "I'll never make that mistake again."
That's one of five mistakes international travelers commonly make, and fortunately, there's an easy way to avoid each. Read on for helpful tips on using your credit card abroad.
<img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/international-travelers_body-2_596433091_0.jpg" alt="Two woman explore the streets of Barcelona">
<h2>1. Set up a travel notification</h2>
Card issuers typically monitor your account for fraudulent use, so making a charge in a destination that you do not typically transact in can trigger a freeze on your account. When this happened to Gruber, she was eventually able to take out cash at an ATM, purchase the SIM card and call the credit card company to unlock the account. Having your card declined "can be very distressing in another country, especially when the card is your only access to money," says Caroline Makepeace, who founded the travel site y Travel Blog with her husband, Craig.
The fix, according to experts like Keryn Means, founder of the family travel website Twist Travel Magazine, is to let your card issuer know which cities you plan to visit and the dates of your trip. "I usually put a little buffer at the end of our travel dates, just in case we get delayed somewhere," Means says. "I will also include any countries and cities our flights are connecting through in case we're delayed there."
<h2>2. Watch for foreign transaction fees</h2>
With some credit cards, customers need to pay a foreign transaction fee for credit card purchases abroad to cover the cost of converting the money into U.S. dollars. Foreign transaction fees are typically 3% of the purchase amount, which can quickly add up. That's why it's helpful to check first; you can strategize before you go and consider getting a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees.
<h2>3. Anticipate your need for cash</h2>
Not every merchant accepts credit cards, so consider taking at least some cash with you when you travel. The amount of cash you bring along depends on your comfort and needs, but keep in mind that ATM usage while traveling internationally can incur fees.
<h2>4. Have a backup credit card</h2>
Consider traveling with more than one credit card so you have an alternative if your other one is lost, stolen or declined.&nbsp;You may want to keep them in separate locations. &ldquo;Generally, I&rsquo;ll leave one in the safe at the hotel,&rdquo; Means says. &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m traveling with a friend or spouse, I usually make sure they have one too.&rdquo;
<h2>5. Take advantage of travel benefits</h2>
Your credit card may offer travel benefits or perks. Some cards offer accelerated rewards you can earn on travel purchases. Others offer free checked bags or early boarding, and some credit cards may even include car rental coverage. It's useful to look into this before your trip, says Makepeace, because earning rewards like these can be worthwhile.
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&mdash; With additional reporting from the Life and Money by Citi editors

5 Top Tips for Using Your Credit Card Abroad

Seasoned travelers know to pack light. And, arguably, one of the most important things you can bring weighs only about five grams: a travel rewards credit card.
Choosing one can seem confusing at first &mdash; the miles, the points, the cash back &mdash; but as cardholders know, you don't have to be a math whiz or hyper organized to make the most of travel rewards. If you can create a trip itinerary, you can successfully navigate using a travel rewards credit card.
Still, while the earned miles for airline travel, points for hotel stays and other benefits unlocked by travel credit cards can be substantial, "too many people aren't tapping into their rewards," says Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving consultant in Bakersfield, CA. In fact, 23% of credit card holders didn&rsquo;t redeem their rewards in the past year, according to a survey conducted by CreditCards.com. 
That adds up to missed opportunities for saving money and taking advantage of other perks. "Some rewards cards come with great travel-specific benefits like credits on hotel travel or access to priority pass airport lounges," says Pete D'Aleo, senior vice president of fee rewards growth strategy at Citi. "So whether you like to plan a big trip once a year or you're a frequent business or leisure traveler, rewards credit cards can help you get more from your journeys."
In other words, if you're somebody who travels without one of these cards, you may be missing out on valuable benefits for your travel. To remedy that, try these tips for choosing the right card &mdash; no poring over points charts or complex algorithms required.
<img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/dont-lose-rewards_body-1_953243884.jpg" alt="view of pacific ocean at sunset from bluff">
<h2 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Explore all your options</h2>
Rewards credit cards vary in their offerings, and depending on your spending and travel habits, there may be more than just one card that's worthwhile. "I believe it's a good idea to have a couple of travel reward cards," says Woroch.
Card benefits can shift, too, so "another thing people overlook is opening a new card to get more rewards," Woroch adds. "If you've been using the same card for years, you could be missing out on a better reward program and opportunity to earn even more rewards on your everyday purchases," she says.
To narrow down the cards that are best for you, think about the way you travel and your organizational habits. For each one you research, ask yourself if you'll truly take advantage of the perks &mdash; regularly enough that they'll outweigh any of the costs. These are four common factors to consider:
1. Annual fee Many travel rewards credit cards come with an annual fee. If you're going to use the perks, their collective value may be more than that fee. If you don't travel all that often, though, you may be better off with a different credit card.
2. Foreign transaction fee While many general credit cards charge foreign transaction fees, some travel rewards credit cards don't. "That's not a commonly discussed perk but it's so valuable," D'Aleo says. "When traveling internationally, those foreign exchange fees can really rack up."
3. Welcome bonus After applying, new cardmembers typically receive a welcome bonus of some sort &mdash; say, a generous amount of bonus miles &mdash; but this also entails having to spend a certain amount of money on the card within a set time. To take advantage of this, you need to be the type of person who will keep track of what you'll need to spend to earn the bonus.
4. Rewards points or miles This is where a credit card can really help you, and because each travel rewards credit card offers something a little different, it's worth taking the time to compare them carefully, taking your personal travel and spending habits into account. Some cards focus on airline miles that can be put toward future trips, for example, and some offer additional points or cash back earn on travel purchases. Others give you points on travel-related purchases like dining, gas, flights, hotel bookings and rental cars, which you can redeem for online shopping, travel purchases, gift cards or other items. Some credit cards may even have relationships with ride share services that you frequently use. That's why it pays to strategize here.
"It's important to select a product that earns points in the categories that you spend," D'Aleo says. "Think about how and where you spend, and how you can get the most points from your annual spend."
<img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/dont-lose-rewards_body-2_627380346.jpg" alt="A couple ride bikes in Cartagena, Colombia">
<h2 style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Make the most of rewards</h2>
The key is to organize your spending so that you're using the right card at the right time. One way is to set up calendar reminders for monthly or quarterly spending with a certain rewards card, or you can keep a digital cheat sheet of cards and categories. Another idea is to mark your rewards cards with color-coded stickers to identify which one you may want to use for travel versus groceries or dining, for example.
One challenge travel-rewards cardholders commonly encounter is blackout dates, but there are strategies to help navigate these. (And of course, there are some travel rewards credit cards that have no blackout dates at all.) If you see blackout dates when researching a flight and you don't need to buy the tickets right away, it's a good idea to check back before purchasing because blackout dates can often shift. Another option is to refocus your flight search on a different airline that's a partner of your credit card company. "Being flexible is key to stretching your dollars," Woroch says. If you can take a super early flight or depart in the middle of the week instead of on a weekend, for example, you may find that you can book with points and have more left over for future trips too.
And because credit card terms aren't always top of mind, the weeks before you leave for a trip can be a good time to take stock of your travel card's perks. You're not likely to forget the exciting ones, like a big welcome bonus, Woroch notes, but it's easy to forget something like trip-cancellation insurance or complimentary baggage checking. You also wouldn't want to pay for car rental insurance at the checkout counter only to later learn that your card offers this for free.
Maximizing your points and perks is what travel rewards credit cards are all about, after all. Because it isn't enough to pack light &mdash; you also want to lighten the load on your budget.
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&mdash; With additional reporting from Geoff Williams and Life and Money by Citi editors.

How to Maximize Your Travel Rewards Credit Card 

All travelers have a fantasy list of places they dream of visiting, but unless you're ridiculously rich, have no responsibilities and plan to live for a millennium, you're going to have to narrow it down, if you want to actually go anywhere.
What's the best way to do that? Travel is personal, and the way we experience a place has as much to do with what we bring to it as what it offers us, so there are different ways you can think it through. Here are five practical methods you can use to determine the destinations with the greatest odds of giving you a memorable and un-touristy trip.
<h2>Look to the locals</h2>
The best way to have an as-close-to-real-life-as-possible experience in a faraway place is for someone who lives there to show you around or point you in the right direction. Make a list of relatives, old pals, people you&rsquo;ve met on prior travels, and friends of friends around the country and the world and see which of their locales spark your interest.
Sometimes these connections can lead to full-on hospitality &mdash; an invitation to a family&rsquo;s Korean New Year celebration, a midnight sun party, a month of informal merengue lessons &mdash; and other times it may mean getting solid advice on authentic restaurants and a number to call in case of an emergency.
<blockquote>
The way we experience a place has as much to do with what we bring to it as what it offers us.
</blockquote>
<img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/where-in-the-world_body-2_933157112.jpg" alt="A group of bicycle cabs pedal down a dark street with lanterns along sides of the buildings" />
<h2>Go where you're deemed interesting</h2>
Here's what I've found to be an almost infallible rule: The fewer visitors a place receives, the more willing locals are to interact with them.
In other words, choose places where the tourists aren't, and there's a pretty good chance the people you meet will be just as curious about you as you are about them.
I once purposefully got off a Yangtze River ferryboat in a town called Badong because it had no discernible tourist attraction. Result: The tourist became the attraction. Storekeepers practiced their English, students stopped me to see if I needed help and a hotel receptionist drove me to her favorite lamb noodle shop, ordered for me, waited as I ate and drove me back &mdash; all while she was on duty.
<img class="right_image" src="https://www.lifeandmoney.citi.com/rcs/lifeandmoney/storage/public/GettyImages-902966276_web.jpg" alt="View of beautiful downhill street in Japan." />
<h2>Take the calendar into consideration</h2>
Traveling in the off-season is great for people who can pull it off. But if you can get away only during your high season, consider going to a place where it's currently their (less crowded, less expensive) low season.
I once spent a December week in northeast Portugal &mdash; a popular summer destination, but cold and drizzly enough in winter that, in terms of tourists, I had the place largely to myself.
Locals had time to offer more than directions. In one town, I was invited to an early-morning pig slaughter that would turn into a feast; in another, when the guesthouse owner saw I was the only one in the dining room, he invited me into the kitchen to eat with his family at their table next to the fireplace, with strings of just-stuffed alheira sausage drying above.
In the summer, think Southern Hemisphere. August is a fantastic time to go to Rio de Janeiro, when the city's winter temperatures drop into the 70s and the city is devoid of domestic tourists since Brazilian students are back in school after July break.
Which brings me to this point: Always check the local holiday schedule. The last thing you need is to arrive in a city just as the locals take off for a long weekend and close their restaurants and shops.
<blockquote>
One reason we treasure travel is because it gets us out of our comfort zone.
</blockquote>
<h2>Try a true escape from your everyday</h2>
One reason we treasure travel is because it gets us out of our comfort zone. I say, make that literal as well as figurative by seeking out places as different from your daily life as possible.
Live in the city? Hit the French countryside, limiting your Paris fix to a couple of days. Love your leafy hometown? Take in the honking horns of Manhattan, as well as the art museums and award-winning restaurants. Go from hot to cold climates or cold to hot, flat terrain to mountainous or mountainous to flat. The bigger the break, the further you&rsquo;ll feel from the stress &mdash; or humdrum &mdash; of home. (All within reason, of course; don&rsquo;t feel like you have to do a homestay with a Papuan tribe in the hills above the Baliem Valley in Indonesia to exit your comfort zone. Though, if you do, take it from me and bring an inflatable sleeping pad.)
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&mdash; With additional reporting from Life and Money by Citi editors.
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Picking Your Next Trip? Try These Tips from a Travel Writer.

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