Travelling with my Revolut card. How can I protect the funds?
- Thread starter Slim
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Put it back in your bank and only transfer a small amount at a time.
But then I have to reconvert it and convert it again to use it. Also, several Booking.com accommodation bookings will charge this card in Canadian dollars over the next two weeks in advance of our stays. I suppose I could change the card on Booking.com but not sure if there is a real risk.
transfer the money in just before the payment date.
Personally I use CC for travel bookings as I have the chargeback option.
all the advice is not to have a large sum of money in Revolut account, after that the choice is yours.
Create pockets or vaults as they used to be called. One each for US and one for Canadian. Keep all but whats's required daily in these. Transfer/check daily what you think you need. This also stops Revolut using Canadian or Euro in US if you have no dollars available in your main US account at that time (and vica versa) so you don't get caught out on the exchange rate twice.
Brendan Burgess
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For future reference
1) Do not have several thousand in your Revolut account
2) Transfer a few hundred or a few days' expenditure at a time.
3) Just in case you run into a problem with Revolut, make sure you have a back up such as an AIB or BoI credit or debit card.
4) In particular, if you are hiring a car, you might require a credit card - they might not accept a debit card.
1) Do not have several thousand in your Revolut account
2) Transfer a few hundred or a few days' expenditure at a time.
3) Just in case you run into a problem with Revolut, make sure you have a back up such as an AIB or BoI credit or debit card.
4) In particular, if you are hiring a car, you might require a credit card - they might not accept a debit card.
Car Hire in USA
I am just wondering if it is necessary to have a credit card to hire car in the USA or if a debit card is accepted. The credit card is in my name but my husband will be doing the driving so it will be hired in his name. Also, is there any particular company that people have good experience with...
www.askaboutmoney.com
thedaddyman
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Brendan's advice is spot on.
Note in the US in particular, you may not be asked for a PIN but may be asked to sign instead and certainly I found myself last month in a position where no PIN or signature at all was required for some transactions. Reasonably common in the US as well for the waiter to take your card away and come back with the receipt.
Also try and ensure you are connected to WiFi in the shop/restaurant if you don't have data rooming on so you will get any warning message of transactions and check your account daily. Don't keep your card and phone together (you should never do this with any card anyway)
Note in the US in particular, you may not be asked for a PIN but may be asked to sign instead and certainly I found myself last month in a position where no PIN or signature at all was required for some transactions. Reasonably common in the US as well for the waiter to take your card away and come back with the receipt.
Also try and ensure you are connected to WiFi in the shop/restaurant if you don't have data rooming on so you will get any warning message of transactions and check your account daily. Don't keep your card and phone together (you should never do this with any card anyway)
Brendan Burgess
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I found this very disconcerting. Not sure why they are so behind in the technology. I am used to paying with my phone.
You have 0 in your main euro account and €200 in a vault.
If you try tapping for something it will reject as no funds. You would need to go into your revelut account and transfer to main.
However, If you had $300 in your main dollar account, it would exchange the dollar for the amount in euros and take it from there.
So in the sense that if someone tried to use your card to purchase something dodgy, the first would fail and be more secure but the second would work (assuming that $300 dollars is enough for the transaction).
Ok! Probably not gonna store so much fx in future.
I have 2 other credit cards with me.
I had to book the car hire in Euro.
All advice here very sensible. Here's hoping no problems on this trip.
thedaddyman
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You can actually overwrite the PIN (if requested for it) for low value transactions in the US by pressing the green button on the keypad. Cashier in a grocery store told me that, I tired it out of curiosity and it worked. This was with an An Post money card, not Revolut.
If you have to even ask this question why would you use Revolut at all.
Because of the issues raised in other threads on this site!
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Yes, Pockets is the way to go and they can also be held in the relevant denominations so that's the safest given what you've described. Transfer over per day as you need.
But I would never use a debit card for a hotel reservation, the incidentals 'hold' they place on the card upon check-in immediately depletes your spending power. Many a friend has been caught out by this while in the US, leaving them with little to no available funds while on the trip since the hold isn't released for up a week after you check out.
This is not so much of an issue with a credit card since it's a credit faciilty. Whereas funds on a debit card are real-time actual money (if you get me.) Have a ball!
Dr Strangelove
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My experience with a Revolut debit card in the US was that it was not that long. Can’t remember exactly but payment reverted within at most 48 hrs of checkout.
Gordon Gekko
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The OP’s issue, which I’ve encountered myself in the US, is that there seems to be no rhyme nor reason to how or when you’re charged for things like hotels, or when payments go through, or the level of ‘hold’ that required on your card, or when such ‘holds’ are released.
If you have the USD in a vault, you’ve a problem when your hotel randomly tries to charge you for the first two nights at 1am on the Tuesday before you arrive.
The whole payments system in the US is bizarre.
If you have the USD in a vault, you’ve a problem when your hotel randomly tries to charge you for the first two nights at 1am on the Tuesday before you arrive.
The whole payments system in the US is bizarre.
It’s incredible how the biggest economy in the world is operating with such an arcane & archaic banking system. Beyond dysfunctional.
Not sure what that means but we did a big holiday in America two years ago without revolut.