Keep your money safe this summer.
Summer is swiftly approaching, and that means people are gearing up to take those long-awaited trips away from the chaos of everyday life. Along with your need to explore a new destination, you also need reliable banking on-the-go.
Before you get too swept up in making itineraries and packing your things, make sure you’re also planning for your financial security! Here are a few financial security tips to help ensure your summer is focused on carefree fun in the sun.
Set up travel alerts
Our Card Defense® app gives you real-time control of your debit or credit cards from your phone. Once you're enrolled, you can let us know when you're traveling and where you're going so you can avoid declined card transactions while you're there! This app also offers other helpful banking on-the-go features, such as reporting your card lost or stolen, turning your cards off and on if you misplace or find them, and much more.
Be wary of public Wi-Fi
In a recent study conducted by Forbes, about 20% of responders use public Wi-Fi to make financial transactions. It’s important to stay wary of using public Wi-Fi to access your banking accounts or pay a bill since they don’t encrypt your information in the same way secure networks do. If you have to manage your finances while on vacation and don’t have access to secure Wi-Fi, your best course of action is to simply turn your cell phone’s Wi-Fi off and use your data instead.
Watch out for card skimmers
Vacation spots can be easy targets for criminals who want to steal your card information. If you have to use an ATM while on vacation, try to use one that’s inside of a building. Criminals have a harder time installing skimmers with cameras watching. If you’re getting gas and need to use your card, check the card slot for any signs of tampering.
You can also use your mobile wallet instead of your physical card for an added layer of security! Here are some other ways to stay safe from ATM scams.
Carry some cash as a backup
Banking on-the-go can be convenient while on vacation, but it’s ideal to have some cash with you! It’s always a good idea to have multiple forms of payment on you while travelling. In the event that something does happen to any of your cards, you can hold onto whatever amount of cash you’re comfortable carrying in order to cover purchases.
Turn on notifications in our mobile app
Another one of our financial security tips includes making sure that you download our mobile app. Setting up alerts and notifications for your accounts prior to your trip departure can help you stay in the loop about your finances while you’re out of town. You can create alerts about large withdrawals, deposits, and balance updates from any of your accounts.
So, before you pack up your bags and head to the airport, make sure you’re prepared with these financial security tips for banking on-the-go this summer!