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"10 percent increase in card use overseas"

By admin | July 22nd, 2009 | Credit Cards

Recently released figures have shown that there has been a 10 percent increase in plastic card use whilst overseas by Brits, with plastic cards being used around ten times per second abroad.

The figures were released by the payment clearance agency, APACS, and reflect the level of plastic card usage overseas for last year. The agency has stated that there were around 317 million plastic card transactions made last year by Brits overseas, which amounted to around 3 percent of all transactions on cards.

The value of the transactions made on plastic cards by Brits abroad last year amounted to around £27.8 billion. Nearly £20 billion of this was used on purchases made on the plastic cards, and nearly £8 billion was in cash withdrawals made from cash machines abroad.

Compared to 2007 these figures reflected a 10 percent increase in card usage overseas by Brits. However, whilst credit card and debit card use abroad can be convenient it can also be costly, and APACS has developed a guide to help consumers planning to use their cards abroad.

One APACS official said: ‘Using your debit or credit card is a convenient and safe way to pay when you’re overseas. However, everyone should be aware that there may be fees or costs connected with using your card in a foreign cash machine or shop. Additionally, card criminals often look to catch us with our defences down when we are on holiday, so we need to take some simple, sensible precautions to help minimise the chances of becoming a victim of fraud.’

She added: ‘The Using Your Card Overseas guide provides useful advice when it comes to using your card abroad, and can help ensure that you’re not caught out by any surprising charges and that your trip overseas is free from fraud.’

Tags: credit card spending, credit cards abroad

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