Can anyone give me some advice about traveling without a credit card, just a debit

[DumboDash2006]

card?

About seven years ago we had some spending issues/financial difficulties. We got rid of all credit cards, learned to be responsible and have slowly dug our way out of debt and haven't looked back. We are much more responsible with our spending now but would still like to avoid credit cards. We have a debit card and haven't had any problems traveling with it but we've also haven't gone on any long trips or very far from home, mostly in state or neighboring states for a few days.

For our WDW trip we are also stopping at several places on the way there and on the way home including a few days at Hilton Head. I'm nervous about relying on just a debit card. With all of the problems with compromises, what if we our far away from home and our card is compromised? It takes some time to get a new one etc. Plus places put holds on your card, the bank puts spending/withdrawl limits etc. But that's way too much cash to carry around. Now we have paid for our condo in Orlando in advance and are buying our Disney tickets in advance so that helps. I'm thinking of calculating a conservative amount and buying Disney gift cards from Target for our food/park purchases.However we'll still need to pay for our hotels at Hilton Head and the way to and from home along with other eating/gas etc.

I guess I should contact Visa and see how they handle it if your debit card is compromised, spending limits etc. But should we try Visa gift cards? I know travellers checks aren't accepted at many places these days but am considering getting one for the amount of the hotel in Hilton Head and then just finding a bank to cash it before we check in.

Any hints/tips? I hope this is the right board for this.

 

[Darcy03231]

Rather than go through getting different gift cards and travelers check why not get a cc to use solely when you travel? It would be a lot easier.

If you're really dead set against using a cc, I would set up a separate checking account and get a separate debit card to use when traveling. If it gets compromised you then have your regular one as a back-up.

 

[laurafergie]

card?

About seven years ago we had some spending issues/financial difficulties. We got rid of all credit cards, learned to be responsible and have slowly dug our way out of debt and haven't looked back. We are much more responsible with our spending now but would still like to avoid credit cards. We have a debit card and haven't had any problems traveling with it but we've also haven't gone on any long trips or very far from home, mostly in state or neighboring states for a few days.

For our WDW trip we are also stopping at several places on the way there and on the way home including a few days at Hilton Head. I'm nervous about relying on just a debit card. With all of the problems with compromises, what if we our far away from home and our card is compromised? It takes some time to get a new one etc. Plus places put holds on your card, the bank puts spending/withdrawl limits etc. But that's way too much cash to carry around. Now we have paid for our condo in Orlando in advance and are buying our Disney tickets in advance so that helps. I'm thinking of calculating a conservative amount and buying Disney gift cards from Target for our food/park purchases.However we'll still need to pay for our hotels at Hilton Head and the way to and from home along with other eating/gas etc.

I guess I should contact Visa and see how they handle it if your debit card is compromised, spending limits etc. But should we try Visa gift cards? I know travellers checks aren't accepted at many places these days but am considering getting one for the amount of the hotel in Hilton Head and then just finding a bank to cash it before we check in.

Any hints/tips? I hope this is the right board for this.

We spent several years without a traditional credit card for the exact same reasons as you. I suggest you get a reloadable credit card. We got ours at walmart and it worked great. Another alternative would be a secured card.

Traveling with just a debit card is difficult. I know when we went to Atlantic City, the hotel made us put cash down, like a couple hundred, in addition to the montrous hold they put on the debit card. If we had a credit card the hold would have been just a courtesy minimum hold.

 

[Skywise]

I got rid of all my credit cards years ago. and I now use an American Express charge card (not their credit card, the charge card) for most, if not all, my purchases. The difference between the credit card and the charge card is that the charge card balance is due in full each month. Otherwise it acts just like a credit card and has the same protections as a credit card.

That doesn't prevent you from going spending crazy like a debit card but I find it a good alternative. (Actually I still have one credit card that I kept just in case of emergencies but I haven't had to touch it for years). Their late terms are generous too in that I've sometimes paid a week or two late with no penalty and, best of all, no interest!!

There's an annual fee that goes with it ($35 for the green card and I think $75 for the gold) but if you lose your card or have it compromised they'll overnight you a new one for free. With the gold card you'll get points for each dollar you spend that can be used directly with Amazon or in lieu of cash or to purchase other items.

 

[Ck57524]

We just got credit cards for that reason. Also Hilton has a reservation where you can pay in full without having a huge deposit on your card when you're there. I think the deposit that got put on was 30. Also if you call your bank and ask them to increase the daily spending limit they will. I had to ask when booking our disney vacation as I paid in full.

 

[cjbcam]

I don't know if you have the debit Visa card there? It works as a visa would but its not borrowed money it comes out of your account. Most banks around here have them and that's what we use. We also have a different credit card but choose to use the debit visa. We also have to call the banks and let them know we are traveling so they don't red flag our card.

 

[Scooby86]

We, too, are living without cc....is it possible to rent a car without one? Avis says that they do not accept cash....

 

[Skywise]

We, too, are living without cc....is it possible to rent a car without one? Avis says that they do not accept cash....

Budget will accept a debit card but reserves the right to put a larger "hold" on your debit card. (The amount of money they claim they might need to charge which ties up your funds - The hold will get released when the car is returned but it can mess up the rest of your budget.)

 

[scrapquitler]

Rather than go through getting different gift cards and travelers check why not get a cc to use solely when you travel? It would be a lot easier.

If you're really dead set against using a cc, I would set up a separate checking account and get a separate debit card to use when traveling. If it gets compromised you then have your regular one as a back-up.

I agree with this. I'd be worried about having many places put holds and them not coming off quickly enough then having a charge declined because of it.

I would get a credit card for use while traveling. If you pay the balance off before the due date, it doesn't cost you any interest. If you have learned to be responsible about your spending, it's not going to cause you any problems.

 

[POOHsie]

One time we were visiting WDW for a long weekend. I just had my debit card. I went to the ATM machine inside Disney, and the card wouldn't work. It had somehow demagnetized. You can imagine my panic about the trip being in ruins. My debit card was from a bank that had a branch in Kissimmee. I rushed down to Kissimmee before the bank closed, and got a cash advance from the card. It wasn't ideal but I was able to continue our trip. I won't travel with just one card again. Use your debit card, but have a backup such as a CC, travelers' checks, or cash you can keep in the hotel safe (not your room safe). Obviously, CC would be the most convenient.

 

[ToodlesRN]

We have no credit cards, only our debit with the Visa logo. We have traveled to Disney and other places many times just using our debit and cash. Never had any problems at all. we always rent a car with Alamo and use the debit card and run it through as credit (Visa) sometimes they put a $250 hold it and other times they don't.

Traveling without a credit card is manageable, I think it actually saves us from unnecessary purchases as we have a budget set with wiggle room if needed!

 

[ToodlesRN]

We, too, are living without cc....is it possible to rent a car without one? Avis says that they do not accept cash....

Yes, We rent through Alamo and always use our debit card with the Visa logo sometime they put $250 hold and other times they have not. Just run it through as Credit card.

 

[Angrypenguin]

I agree, I think a prepaid debit card might be a good choice. American Express BlueBird is a popular choice.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would see about opening a second account with a second card. Maybe even at a different bank/credit union. That way if one card is lost, you still have the other. Make sure you can transfer money between the accounts. Obviously that will be easier if it's the same bank, but not impossible if it's different banks.

Make sure you have plenty of money in the accounts, and internet access and ability to check on things. If you can, have a savings account where you can hold money and then move it to checking as needed. But be sure to have a hefty cushion in the account you're accessing with the card, for those holds.

Hopefully you have an account with a bank like Chase, where you can go to a branch in Orlando if you need to. They are also convenient because they are the ATM on Disney property.

We did the no-CC thing for years and years, and never had a panic that wasn't easily dealt with. Honestly it's been harder having a CC without a huge limit on it, because a hold is a hold, and if it takes you up to the limit it's a pain! (I'm looking at you, Loews resorts at Universal, especially Portofino with $200/night hold, and we always visit Universal AFTER WDW, so we've got the WDW charges on the card....)


Oh yes! Contact your hotels to see if you can pre-pay them! If that's a possibility then that takes care of the paying issues on top of the CC "just in case you break our room" deposit issue.

 

[TravelMommy]

The AAA near us has a prepaid debit card that works like "travelers checks" if you will in that they will replace it if lost or stolen. I think it is called the AAA Travel Card. Have a great trip.

 

[supersnoop]

The problem with using a debit card when traveling is that hotels and car rental companies out a large "hold," or authorization on the card. It can be somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 per day. You lose the use of that money until the hold expires, which can take a week, sometime longer. If you are worried about not having access to your money, I'd be more concerned about the authorizations than security.

 

[JB2K]

Any hints/tips? I hope this is the right board for this.

Yes, if you are relying solely on a debit card for travel, don't use it at the following places:

• Pay-at-the-Pump Gas Stations (use it inside, instead)
• Car Rentals
• Table Service Restaurants
• Hotel Front Desk

Reason being, these places either pre-authorize an exorbitant amount to protect themselves, or pre-authroizes based on potential tipping.

Any miscalculation on your part could case your account to seriously overdraw.

 

[tar heel]

I would strongly recommend that you consider getting a credit card. My son and his new wife went to WDW on their honeymoon with only debit cards. Their trip, including dining plan, was prepaid and they both had plenty of money in the bank. Unfortunately, their car broke down on the way home, and they discovered that it is impossible to rent a car on Sunday with a debit card in many places. None of the local places were open and the airport would not rent to someone who did not have a plane ticket. It was very frustrating.

 

[cleverclovers]

Please don't forget to notify whatever company issued your card(s) that you will be traveling to Florida. Many financial institutions block any transactions from Florida due to the huge amount of fraudulent activity there. If they know when and where you are traveling, they can allow transactions at those locations during your travel period.

 

[texasroni75]

We don't use credit cards either. I would be nervous traveling and relying on just one debit card, in case of holds, issues, whatever. I would split my vacation money between two separate accounts at the very least just in case. As others mentioned, opening up one or two prepaid debit cards is a good option. I would use my bank account card only at places that would not accept any other form of payment.

Also, we notified our banks about our trip the day before we left.

We also prepaid most of our vacation, and used cash as much as possible to limit the amount of times our debit card was used - which theoretically would lower the chances that somewhere along the line our information could be hacked. At the very least, it made me feel better about it.