The research by Money.com.au revealed the most prevalent of these issues is related to unexpected foreign transaction fees (15%), as well as defective payment terminals and card machines (11%).
Meanwhile, 7% of people said they couldn’t access cash due to ATM issues or withdrawal limits, while 5% experienced an ATM scam or suspected skimming.
Other problems identified included Aussie travellers’ cards being blocked by their bank back home in Australia.
The research also revealed that younger Australians are more likely to report card issues when travelling, as a greater number of Millennials (50%) and Gen Z (47%) have experienced problems, compared to Gen X (26%) and Baby Boomers (16%).
Money.com.au’s finance expert, Sean Callery, warned that issues with cards overseas “can quickly become a much bigger problem if you’re the person responsible for covering accommodation, transport or other group expenses”.
Callery advised travellers to take a series of precautions, including using a travel card with no foreign transfer fees and having a supply of local cash as a fail-safe.
He also advised sticking to major bank networks and partner banks where possible and to always have the international contact number of your local bank handy.
