Having a military husband, we often find ourselves using our debit/credit cards in completely different time zones. More than once, we have had our accounts flagged for fraud and had our cards cut off only to find out that a computer somewhere noticed that the cards were used so far apart in such a short time that it flagged them. After explaining the situation, we always fixed the problem, but it can be a hassle.
Nowadays, most major credit card companies and banks allow you to add a “traveling” update to your account. This means that the computer won’t automatically shut your cards off, they will usually call you if unusual activity is detected. My husband and I bank with Navy Federal, and use this feature often. We can log into the app on our phones and set ourselves to traveling. We can even add a destination so that if we say we’re going to Orlando, but the cards are used in Idaho, it will send a fraud warning. This feature has made life so much easier when he is traveling to one coast and I am going to the other! Using this feature isn’t a free pass to ignore your account while on vacation, you should always keep a keen eye just in case!
