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Be Financially Prepared to Travel

Vacationing financially smart begins before you even leave your house. Before catching your flight or hitting the open road, here are a few things you should consider doing to enjoy your trip while keeping your finances in check.

Take care of your bills.

Before you leave, make sure you pay or schedule payment on any bills that will be due while you are away or in the week following your trip. You also want to make sure you account for your bills when planning how much money you have to spend on your excursion.

Set a budget for your trip.

While planning your trip, be sure to set a budget and then stick to it. After you’ve decided where you are going, do some research on how much you can expect to pay for things while you’re there. Transportation, entertainment, food and other activities can add up quick, so set a realistic number based on how much you have to spend and what you plan to do on your trip.

Call your bank and credit card company.

Banks and credit card companies have safeguards in place on your account to help mitigate fraud. If you don’t let them know you’ll be away from home and that your spending patterns are going to significantly change, your cards could be locked and payments denied due to the system alerting them as fraud. To avoid any hiccups in payment, decide which cards you’ll be using while on your trip and then let your bank and credit card companies know where you’re going and how long you’ll be there. 

Have spare cash with you just in case.

It is always a good idea to have some cash on hand while traveling. If there are any issues with your cards, you won’t be stuck without a way to pay for the lunch you’ve already enjoyed. While on your trip, keeping some cash and an extra credit card secure wherever you’re staying is also helpful in case you lose your wallet while exploring.

Control your debit card with Card Central.

If you have a trip coming up, take steps now to safeguard your debit card. With Card Central, you can set spending limits and turn your card off and on in real time. Explore Card Central by clicking “Cards” at the bottom of your First State Bank Nebraska Mobile Banking App or learn more here.