When it comes to summer travel, you’re all business. You’ve been saving up for months, scouring the best deals on flights and hotels, reading restaurant reviews, and making itineraries to maximize every second of your getaway.
We’re here to help. Because we know that the last thing you want to do while you’re away is worry about your debit card declining out of the blue!
While it’s not always necessary to notify your bank that you’ll be traveling, it can be a helpful step in your pre-vacation prep list. Setting up travel notifications is quick, simple to adjust, and helps prevents interruptions to your debit card usage. Let’s get into why and how to make travel notifications part of your dream vacay.
Benefits of Setting Travel Notifications
When you travel, you might use your debit card in unfamiliar locations. Your bank will monitor transactions to protect you from fraud, so if your bank sees a purchase from a location that doesn’t match your usual spending habits it might flag the transaction as suspicious. This can lead to your transaction being declined or your card being temporarily disabled, causing unnecessary inconvenience — the last thing you want on your summer holiday.
Setting travel notifications simply means informing your bank about your upcoming trip. This allows them to adjust their fraud detection systems accordingly. The state of current fraud detection is relatively advanced and continually improving; still, it’s wise to be proactive just in case!
How to Set Travel Notifications with Digital Banking
If you have a checking account with SouthEast Bank, you can set up travel notifications anytime using Debit Card Controls. This set of tools is available through online banking and the SouthEast Bank App, allowing you to make real-time updates to your card usage, including managing “Travel Plans.”
This is how you can get started:
- From the Main Menu, click “Card Controls”
- Under the “Manage Card” menu, click “Manage Travel Plans”
- Verify the correct account, click “Add Travel Plan,” and confirm your identity with a one-time security token sent to your preferred phone number
- Then enter your destination and travel dates, and SouthEast Bank will be automatically notified accordingly
With Debit Card Controls, you can set up two Travel Plans with multiple destinations for as long as a month, as well as make modifications or cancellations as needed.
Final Travel Tips
Now that you’ve set your travel notifications in advance of that much-needed vacation time, here are a few other tips to remember for managing your account while you’re on-the-go:
- Take this opportunity to ensure all of your contact information is up-to-date with your bank, especially your phone number and email address. This will help ensure that if, for some reason, there is an issue with your account while you’re away from home, your bank can more easily contact and assist you as needed.
- Before your summer travel, check your debit card’s expiration date. If it’s due to expire around the time of your trip, reach out to your card issuer for an updated card.
- Always have a backup payment method in case of emergencies. This could be an additional card or cash to have on hand at your destination.
- Finally, remember to review your bank’s policies regarding foreign transactions. Some lenders or financial institutions charge fees for using your card abroad. Understanding these fees can help you budget more effectively during your summer travel.
