Be My Travel Muse

Solo Female Travel

What to Do When You Lose Your Debit Card Overseas

by 42 Comments

I had been told time and time again that the longer I traveled, the more chances I would have of things going horribly awry.

“Don’t jinx me!” I’d always say in response.  I fancy myself a careful traveler with a good head on her shoulders, but no matter how careful one tries to be, things will, inevitably, eventually go amiss.

I hadn’t noticed anything was missing, so I continued on my trajectory of spending baht like it’s Monopoly money, and arrived in the coastal town of Ao Nang with about 200 baht (the equivalent of USD$6) to my name.  Stopping by an ATM before my long-tail boat ride over to my beloved Tonsai, I opened my wallet and realized:

My freaking debit card is missing!!!

I hyperventilated while searching every orifice of my bag for about 5 minutes before digging out my emergency stash of dollars (that I actually earned for painting this mural, it’s funny how things work out), and changing them over to Thai baht.  Figuring that there was nothing to be done at the present moment, I got on the long-tail boat as planned, and headed for Tonsai, where the electricity doesn’t run during the day and there are no banks.

On my second day there, I was lamenting my situation to a Canadian I had just met, who immediately insisted on handing me three thousand baht (about USD$100).  Again and again I refused, but he insisted.

“It’s really not a lot to me.  Just pay it forward,” he said.

That few thousand ended up guiding me through until my arrival back in Ao Nang where I had my bank send me funds via Western Union.  Ten days later, my debit card arrived via FedEx.  Though a frankly crappy and anxiety-causing situation, it wasn’t the end of the world, or worse, my travels!

If you find yourself in a similar situation take the following steps:

  • Inform your bank of the lost card and identify any fraudulent charges as soon as you can.  I did this all via Skype, which did not charge me for calling 1-800 numbers. 
  • Have either your bank or a family member send you funds via Western Union.  If you have credit cards and know your PIN number, sometimes the fees are more favorable to withdraw a cash advance on those vs. Western Union.  Another option is to paypal another traveler some money and have them withdraw funds from an ATM for you.
  • Your bank may require you to fax over your location information – mine did.  It was very helpful in this situation to have my mother on my account as she had easier access to a fax machine (I added her before leaving – this has turned out to be a great idea for several reasons).
  • Find a location you trust, like a nice hotel, to have your card sent to.  I chose the dive shop I had just finished a Similan Islands dive trip with, as it was not too far for me to get back to and I knew I could trust them.
  • Your bank should send the card via FedEx. Obtain a tracking number and track its progress.

Other ideas that friends have since come up with are to have multiple bank accounts so that the Western Union fees can be avoided.  This is a smart move and one I’ll be employing moving forward.

So, all said and done, I lost a little, and gained some faith in humanity via a gift from a stranger.  It rings true time and time again, when we’re in need, that’s when help arrives.

Have you ever lost something important while traveling? What did you do to remedy the situation?



YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

  1. Tips From the Banker: The Real Cost of Travel in Peninsular Malaysia
  2. coffee bay south africaWhat Does It Cost to Travel in South Africa?
  3. Tips from the Banker: What it Really Costs to Travel in Laos

Comments

  1. I am so due for something like this to happen when I’m traveling. (Evil Eye, please cover your ears, uh, eyes, uh, whatever).

    Both my sons have survived:
    **older son (leaving debit card in library photocopy machine and then leaving for Australia); and, y
    **younger son (I think you know him – you know, the adopted one)(arriving at JFK Airport (from Philly!) and realizing he didn’t have his passport for a flight to Israel–also left in a photocopy machine. A very good friend drove it 100 miles up to him).

    For some reason, your commentluv does not love my blog post urls, so I’ll add this one:
    http://www.boomeresque.com/baby-boomer-travel-induced-hypochondria/

    Reply

  2. Eeek, this has happened to me also, but in Mexico. Here are my personal tips:

    -Travel with more than 1 debit cart and keep them in different places. You can always transfer cash around both accounts online, but this has saved my butt more than once.

    -Have a mastercard and a visa card. I was in the Philippines in a remote area, and the only ATM machine accepted mastercard, wtf! Thankfully I had a capital one masterdard, and while I got hit for doing a cash advance on a credit card, it was better than taking a bus 2 hours to the next closest ATM.

    Reply

  3. I really like the painting! It’s tough when you have money issues on the road. I’ve never had a debit card lost or stolen, but I had to cancel one once in Madrid after being pretty convinced I’d been scammed. The main problem I face is having the banks cancel my cards when they’re perfectly safe, despite me informing them where I’ll be travelling. I guess it’s best to have as many options to get money out as possible.

    Reply

  4. I was smart enough to take 2 cards and both failed simultaneously anyway. Huzzah! And then it was Christmas in Greece and it took an entire month to get my card back. Then it still took some extra attention to make it work properly. Oh, good times. I think it’s kinda dumb to take 3, but…hmm…

    Reply

  5. We had a problem much like that in Costa Rica. And also a fellow traveller was kind enough to help us out to:)
    Glad all was ok. Its a scary situation but once you clear your head and stop thinking of how your going to plan sleeping on the beach for rest of your days its really not that bad. Western union also got us out of that jam!

    Great post!!

    Reply

  6. That’s so cool of the Canadian to help out, and I’m sure if he hadn’t something else would have come along. I’ve seen it time and time again in Thailand, things just tend to work out and people help in the most unexpected situations and times!

    Reply

  7. I always have a backup plan (or two) for how to get cash and pay for things. You never know when a card will be declined/stolen/blocked/demagnetized/etc/etc/etc.
    Glad you survived, and had a chance to experience some generosity on the road too!

    Reply

  8. When my debit card went missing the other day I took the fairest approach possible.

    I sent our a hit squad of highly trained mosquitos to hunt down the culprit & apply the highest possible bite to inch of skin ration possible.

    Still awaiting results.

    If it doesn’t work out I’ll call the bank.

    Reply

    • I thought of doing that but since mozzies and I are so not cool with each other I settled for venting on Facebook instead.

      Reply

  9. Yikes! That was so kind of the stranger to help you out with some cash. I’ve misplaced my cards a few times while travelling, but fortunately, I always managed to find them hidden somewhere…

    Reply

  10. Check with your bank before you leave to see if they will even send replacement cards overseas. My card (Capital One) was list in an ATM machine in Russia and Capital One told me they would only send the replacement to my address in the US. On top of that, as I made plans to have my parents send me the card once it arrived, I learned that Russia prohibits the import of credit/debit cards so there was a chance my new card wouldn’t even make it through customs.

    Luckily I was able to get my card from the bank that owned the ATM so it was all moot, but I learned a lot!

    Reply

  11. This just happened to us literally 3 weeks ago. It was a nightmare but we got through it. We usually have mutltiple cards with us. carry one set and another set just in case of emergencies or in case we the first set gets lost or compromised. Seems silly but its even more annoying to be without mnoey..

    Reply

    • It’s seeming silly to me now that I didn’t have a set of backup cards. Will not make that mistake again.

      Reply

  12. How very kind of that guy in Tonsai for helping you out. I lost my credit card when I visited Thailand earlier this year and had to have money transferred via Western Union. From now on I’ll travel with two cards and/or emergency cash like you.

    Reply

  13. I too, am overdue for this kind of debacle. However, sometimes I’ve wound up in a jam even without screwing up myself- like when the only ATM on the island was broken…

    Reply

    • Gosh I haven’t ran into that before. Everyone’s comments are both making me scared but also making me more prepared!

      Reply

  14. I think the “emergency cash” is the best option. I have never lost my credit card, however I had it blocked numerous time because my bank thought it had been stolen and was being used overseas !

    So
    Advice #1 : always tell your bank if you’re planning a trip
    Advice #2 : always keep a handful of bills (euro or dollar or any “big” currency accepted anywhere) for emergency

    Reply

  15. I love meeting kind strangers! What I don’t love so much is getting in a position where I need the kindness of strangers.

    My debit card didn’t work in Taiwan and I was saved by a lanky South African who exchanged my AUD into the local currency. (The only exchange bureau that was open didn’t want my AUD or CAD.)

    I now bring 2 credit cards, 2 debit cards and some emergency cash in USD. I don’t know if that’s overkill, but better safe than sorry.

    Reply

    • Smart. I ran into another issue when no bank in the China/Vientam border town wanted to take my debit card!

      Reply

  16. Thanks so much for posting this! I will be travelling hardcore (for the first time in my life, at all) in 11 months time, and this was a concern that crossed my mind! Great advice, I’ll be sure to follow the lot!

    Lauren

    Reply

    • Glad to help! Definitely have a backup card. I learned this the hard way again in China when the ATMs in the border town I was in all rejected my one and only card. My other one hadn’t arrived in time before I left home last time so once again, I’m making this same mistake!

      Reply

  17. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that they are people like you all who have had this issue. It is one of my worst nightmares as I plan my RTW trip.

    Reply

  18. Suggestion of western union saved my debit-card-losing ass. Thanks kristin. Good thing the details were committed to memory! Simply register online then send to yourself. You’ll need id and to write down the collection number.

    Reply

  20. This is happening to me. I got my new card, but unauthorized transactions started cropping up. Then I got another and still the same deal. My bank’s agent and I concluded based on the times, someone had opened my FedEx packages and compromised the card, before I even opened it myself to activate it. Frustrating. The transactions were at the apartment I am staying in! I am guessing it is a particular receptionist trying to launder money. Damn kids.

    Reply

    • Whoaaa that’s no good! Hopefully you have a backup or another option. In the past when I met someone at the hotel in the same situation I pulled money out of the ATM for him and he paypal’d me. Maybe that’s an option?

      Reply

  22. Daughter in barcelona was just robbed of phone and card. Thankfully others in hostel are letting her use their phones. And thankfully she put passport and another debit and credit card in safe with a little cash. Think it’s time to end her 7 week European travels. Yet she’s unharmed and safe!!!!!

    Reply

    • Sorry to hear that! Honestly I hope it’s not a reason to end a trip. It can happen anywhere, but Barcelona can be bad. Thankfully it’s just things.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.