7. Foreign Transaction Fees
Traveling abroad with a credit card or debit card can protect your money, but some banks impose foreign transaction fees whenever you use your debit or credit card to make purchases in a foreign country. Read the fine print of your service agreement or call customer service before you travel — a transaction fee might apply even in foreign countries that use the U.S. dollar as their currency, so you could be paying 3 percent extra each time you swipe. To avoid foreign transaction fees, consider using a credit card that doesn’t charge them.