Notify Your Bank Before International Travel

The Problem

You swipe your card in Tokyo and it's declined. Your bank froze it because of 'suspicious foreign activity.'

The Hack

Before traveling internationally: call your bank (or use the app) and set a travel notice for your dates and destination countries. Do this for ALL cards you'll bring.

Why It Works

Banks monitor for unusual activity patterns. A charge in a foreign country looks fraudulent if they don't know you're traveling. A travel notice tells the fraud system to expect foreign charges.

Pro Tips

• Most banks: set travel notice in the app (Settings > Travel)
• Do it for: credit cards AND debit cards
• Include all countries you might visit (layover countries too)
• Some banks no longer require this — but it's safer to set one