Even when you’re on vacation, you need to use identity theft prevention tactics to help preserve your good credit.

BEFORE YOU GO

1) Decide which credit card you’re going to take with you.  You probably don’t need ALL of your credit cards and in the event something happens, you’ll only have to cancel one.  Have the customer service phone number as well as the  account number with you in a safe place along with your other ”in case of emergency” information. 

2) Contact the credit card company to let them know you’ll be traveling.  This is especially important for international trips so that an unusual transaction from a different country on the account does not trigger a freeze on the account.  

WHILE YOU’RE THERE

Follow the same identity theft prevention practices that you do at home.  Keep your credit card and identification with you at all times.  Take it up to the cash register, don’t let an employee take it from the table at a restaurant out of your sight.  Be sure to get and keep all of your receipts for credit card purchases.  They may have the account number on them, which you want to protect.  And in the event of unauthorized charges, you have receipts for the items you actually purchased.

WHEN YOU GET HOME

1) It’s much more fun to look at pictures and videos of your wonderful trip than to deal with the paperwork from it.  However, keep all the receipts from your vacation together in one place.  When the credit card statement arrives the next month, take the time to check all of the charges against your receipts.  If there is anything unusual, contact the credit card company immediately.

2) Mark your calendar to check your credit report in two months after your trip.  This monitoring will assure that there are no fraudulent accounts that have been opened since your trip.

Protecting your identity and using your credit accounts wisely is important to growing better credit scores.  For more strategies you can order your own Credit Analysis and learn how to positively impact all five parts of your credit score.