A credit card: do you need one while travelling?
If you’re going on holiday or a city break, you might be wondering whether you need to take a credit card. Your credit card can often make your trip easier, safer and sometimes even cheaper. Let’s take you through a few common situations:
- Hiring a car abroad
- Checking in at a hotel
- Protecting your purchases against loss, theft and damage
- Delayed flights or luggage
- Booking hotels or buying last-minute travel gadgets
- Not being able to pay by debit card
Hiring a car abroad
Just imagine: you and your travel companion are at a car hire company in Italy. It’s getting hot, so you just want to get into the car and start your adventure as soon as possible. You’re then asked: “Can I have your credit card for the deposit?”
This is because car hire companies put a temporary reserved amount on your credit card. This isn’t a withdrawal: the money is only deducted from your spending limit. In almost every case, you can only do this using a credit card in the driver’s name. Usually you won’t be able to use a debit card for this. If you don’t cause any damage, you’ll get the deposit back automatically.
Checking in at a hotel
Many hotels – especially outside Europe – ask for a deposit to cover things like the minibar, damage or extras. If you use a debit card, this amount will be debited right away. If you use a credit card, the amount will only be reserved temporarily, so you can still use your account balance for payments. Almost all hotels use these temporary reserved amounts, and you can only use a credit card for them. If you use a debit card, the amount will have to be debited and then refunded later, which takes time and extra administration work. That’s why checking in without a credit card can take longer or may even be refused.
Protecting your purchases against loss, theft and damage
Pretty much everything you buy with your credit card while on holiday is insured against loss, theft and damage for at least 180 days. That’s a comforting thought if the sunglasses you just bought are stolen. Read more about the purchase protection insurance.
Delayed flights or luggage
If your flight or suitcases are delayed for 4 hours or more, you may end up with extra costs for food, drinks or other necessary items.
By using a credit card to pay for the journey, you’ll often receive compensation for these additional expenses, giving you some peace of mind in case of unexpected delays.
Not being able to pay by debit card
You can’t use a Dutch debit card in certain places. Examples are:
- small restaurants in villages you travel through
- toll roads abroad
- local ticket sites
- older terminals in shops that only accept credit cards
In these cases, a credit card is a necessary plan B.
Saving money on hotels or travel gadgets
With our credit cards, you often get discounts on hotels, electronics and travel accessories through ICS Specials. Examples or deals many travellers use:
- discounts on hotels accommodation worldwide
- savings on headphones for long-haul flights, power banks for when you're travelling all day and other travel gadgets
On balance: do you need a credit card while travelling?
Having a credit card with you on your travels if often useful and can even be essential in some parts of the world. You'll have a stronger position when booking, enjoy extra protection in case of delays and benefits from nice discounts. You don't always need a credit card if you're staying in the Netherlands, or if your holiday is in the EU and you're not renting a car. But even in those cases, a credit card is still a nice back-up option to have.