Consumers 'prefer credit cards when on holiday'
Published On 12 July 2007
Consumers are increasingly choosing to use credit card when abroad, as they are more convenient than travellers cheques, a leading body has said.The UK payments association, Apacs, said that rising credit card fraud worries had not outweighed ease of use for holidaymakers planning their budget and finance.
A spokesperson explained: "People tend to use cards because they're just more convenient and you know what you're getting.
"Whereas I think with travellers cheques you're having to pay a whole range of fees.
"And in some cases, you just don't find they're acceptable in so many places. It's just a mix."
She added that the lack of chip and pin facilities in many foreign countries added to the risk when using a credit card abroad, but said that card users were often protected against fraud by their card provider.
"The good news is that if you're the victim, your bank will give you the money back," she said. "I think that's another reason why people use cards - because they know they don't lose out financially."
Recent Apacs figures show that UK holidaymakers spent £23 billion on plastic last year. However, fraud committed on UK card abroad rose from £82.8 million to £118.2 million.
