Money and insurance
Your card gets cloned while travelling: what to do in the first hour
Block, report and claim, in that order. The specific steps, what deadlines there are, and how to keep paying for the rest of the trip.
Tomás Berruezo 5 min Photo by Reiseuhu on Unsplash A strange charge in the banking app while you are away is one of those things that ruins an afternoon if you do not know what to do, and that resolves reasonably well if you act quickly and in order.
The first hour
- Block the card from the app. It is instant and reversible if the charge turns out to be yours after all.
- Check the rest of the transactions, because there is almost never just one.
- Tell the bank through a channel that leaves a record: the app's chat or the phone, noting the time and the person.
- Report it to the police if the bank asks for it or if there was also a physical theft, and keep a copy.
- Start using your second card, which is exactly what it is for.
The claim
Unauthorised charges are claimed from the bank, and there are deadlines: the sooner you report it, the better. Keep everything that carries a date, including the app's messages, because that is what holds the claim up if it gets complicated.
If the bank's answer does not convince you, there is the provider's own customer service department and, after that, the relevant complaints bodies. It is slow and it works.
How to avoid it for the rest of the trip
- Pay with your phone where you can: it does not expose the card number.
- Avoid street ATMs in tourist areas and use the ones inside branches.
- Do not let the card out of your sight when paying, and be wary if it is taken somewhere else.
- Turn on alerts for every charge, which is what makes you find out in minutes instead of weeks.
An instant alert on every charge does not prevent fraud: it makes you find out in time, which is the only thing that matters.
Frequently asked questions
What do I do if my card is cloned while travelling?
Block it from the app, check the rest of the transactions, tell the bank through a channel that leaves a record, report it if needed and use your second card.
Will I get the money back?
Unauthorised charges are claimed from the bank and there are deadlines, so report it as soon as possible and keep everything that carries a date.
How do I avoid it?
By paying with your phone, using ATMs inside branches, not letting the card out of your sight when paying and turning on alerts for every charge.
And if I end up with no card?
That is what the second one is for, from a different provider and kept separately. Without it, plan B is an urgent transfer from home.
