Bangkok--5 Feb--Spark Communications
With people across the region reaching for their suitcases and getting ready for the upcoming Chinese New Year period, Visa shares its top five holiday money management tips to help people travel smart.
The tips come from travel research conducted with more than 7,500 travelers from across Asia Pacific[1] on how they managed their holiday budget and spending while overseas.
1. Plan your trip and travel budget ahead of departure. To avoid unexpected surprises on the road, there are a number of steps that cardholders can take. For example, by doing some basic research, they can work out a travel budget and identify the more costly activities or purchases so the price doesn’t come as a surprise. Also, cardholders should inform their card’s issuing bank prior to departing to avoid any disruption to their cards and should memorize their PIN number.
According to Visa travel research, travelers take an average of 14 weeks to plan their holidays. Three-quarters of respondents also said that they preferred to plan and book travel online[2]. The internet[3] is a useful resource for getting travel information and checking on available payment methods at a destination. This is especially favored by respondents from India (21 percent) and China (20 percent), while those from Japan (53 percent) and Korea (35 percent) prefer to check with their friends and relatives. Koreans also like to check with their banks (37 percent)[4].
2. Check out travel deals for your destination at www.visagoexplore.com. To stretch budgets further, travelers should check for local promotions at their destination. From free hotel stays to discounts at restaurants, using a Visa payment card gives the cardholder access to great promotions to stretch the holiday dollar even further. To check out deals before leaving, go to: www.visagoexplore.com
3. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Less cash means less risk. Personal security is enhanced by using Visa electronic payment methods such as debit, credit or prepaid cards. Nearly one in two respondents (45 percent) said that the main reason for using electronic payments cards over cash and traveller’s cheques for transactions overseas was to minimize personal risk. Just four percent of travelers thought cash was safe to carry around[5]. If cash is lost or stolen it is gone forever however Visa cards can be replaced by a call to the traveler’s issuing bank.
Travelers can also be reassured to know that Visa is accepted at 29 million merchant outlets around the world. Visa cardholders can use their card to make payments the same way they do when at home.
4. Use ATMs for safe, convenient and easy access to funds. To avoid carrying large amounts of cash, take a leaf out of the book of two-thirds (64 percent) of the respondents who prefer accessing cash from an ATM[1] at their arrival destination. There are more than 1.5 million Visa ATMs around the world, including at every major airport, making it a simple and more convenient way to access funds.
Khun Somboon Krobteeranon, country manager, Thailand, Visa, said: “Travelers should consider relying on payment cards while traveling as the safer and smarter way to pay. Often times, they might be looking for a quick and secure way to access foreign currency. Using an ATM at your destination is a safe and convenient way of doing this, as nobody wants to be stuck in long queues or be restricted by bank’s opening hours to change money.”
5. Keep important card details and emergency numbers in a safe and handy place. If the unexpected happens, help is at hand and travelers should call the Visa Global Customer Assistance Service (GCAS) to cancel the cards and to organize quick replacements. A Visa payment card also carries zero liability protection against unauthorized purchases— a key security advantage over traveller’s cheques or cash.
Khun Somboon said: “Visa payment cards offer safe access to cash, protection against card loss and theft and places financial management decisions firmly in the cardholder’s hands.”
With the safer-than-cash, secure transaction and straightforward money management features, Visa electronic payment cards make the best travel partners this Chinese New Year!
Visa’s Top Five Holiday Money Management Tips
1. Plan your travel budget ahead of departure
2. Check out travel deals at your destination at www.visagoexplore.com
3. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash
4. Use ATMs for safe, convenient and easy access to funds
5. Keep important card details and emergency financial contact details in a safe and handy place
[1] Visa Travel Smart survey
[1] Research and number of respondents are based on The Visa Travel Smart survey and ‘Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond’ survey.
[2] Determining Travel Preferences in 2009 and Beyond survey
[3] Internet includes sources such as travel/tour websites, destination tourism websites
[4] Visa Travel Smart survey
[5] Visa Travel Smart survey
[6] Visa Travel Smart survey
For further press information please contact:
Supansa Vongprasert or Warangkana Plungsiri
Spark Communications
Tel: 02 653 2717-9
Email:
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