Before you travel overseas, there are a few key things that can help it become more seamless.
Below are some tips from the BankVic team to avoid card blocks, access issues, or unexpected fees.
1. Let us know your travel plans
It’s important to let us know when and where you’ll be travelling. A sudden overseas transaction appearing on your account can flag as a potentially irregular or fraudulent situation. Sharing which countries you’ll be visiting, helps to ensure we don’t place a temporary lock on your card if we detect overseas transactions.
Visit our Overseas Travel Notification Form and let us know when you're planning a trip.
2. Do your important banking before you leave
You may not have regular or reliable access to internet banking while away and even if you do, it might be on shared or public Wi-Fi networks, which can be unsecure.
If you have upcoming payments or transfers to make, we strongly recommend doing this beforehand. You can schedule payments and transfers to occur on a date you nominate and leave it to happen in the background while you’re enjoying your trip.
Planning these before you head away means you’ll be reducing the risk of needing to use public internet access to log in and potentially expose your details to would-be scammers.
3. Understand how your card functions overseas
When you spend money using your BankVic card overseas, all purchases will be conducted in Australian dollars (plus a currency conversion fee). Information about these and other fees are detailed in our Fees and charges brochure.
Daily ATM withdrawal limits also apply. Information about these are detailed in our Transaction limits page.
4. Protect your card
Travellers and tourists are prime targets for theft and can be easily identified by a cunning thief. When we are taking in the sights and experiences of new places, our attention isn’t as focussed on our possessions as it might be at home. This is when a thief can strike, and make away with your bag, phone, wallet, or anything else you have on you.
As well as keeping your belongings and personal documents as secure as you can, we recommend you also take the following steps:
- Ensure you have either international roaming activated, or pre-purchase a SIM card for the country(ies) you will be spending time in, so you can use the BankVic app if and when you need to
- Provide us with the phone number for any SIM card you will be using overseas, so we are able to contact you if needed (suspicious transactions, lost/stolen card, etc)
- Carry both your physical and digital card on your smart device or phone - but in different places (card in one pocket, phone in another).
What can you do if you have lost or had your card stolen while travelling?
You can report the loss or theft immediately via:
- Calling the 24-hour Visa Emergency Hotline: (within Australia) on 1800 621 199 or if you are overseas on +612 9959 7686 or +1 303 967 1090 (call collect).
- Logging into the BankVic App:
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Go to 'Cards'
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Go to 'Need help with your card?'
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Choose the appropriate option for your card.
Note: If you set up your digital wallet prior to the card being reported as lost or stolen, it will still perform tap and go as normal while you wait for the physical replacement card to be delivered.
Contacting us while you’re overseas
You can contact BankVic while you’re overseas on +61 3 9268 9373, emailing info@bankvic.com.au, or filling in our Contact form.
Please ensure you have provided us with your current phone number and have activated global roaming, as we may need to send an SMS to verify your identity (though please note international SMS delivery is not always reliable, so we strongly recommend you do any important banking prior to leaving on your trip).
Travel smart with Smartraveller
Take advantage of the Smartraveller website and resources, by getting travel and cultural advice plus information on health, visa requirements, and much more. Visit Smartraveller.
