Zambia Elephant

I lost my debit card in the centre of the Zambian wilderness.

As much as I would like you to retrieve that I lost it while using a machete to break through the untamed wilderness and fighting off lions, I probably just left it at a safari social club bar. Have you lost a debit card while traveling overseas?

Ok no trouble, I will use my other debit card…oh wait information technology had expired a week ago.

Credit card? My new Visa credit bill of fare was belatedly arriving in the mail and was at my parents' house in the United states. Not helpful.

That left me with an American Express credit card, which was a useless, shiny piece of plastic on the African continent.

See Likewise: Oh dear God practise Non travel with an American Express Card

Simply I survived, and you will too. I learned a lot from this incident, and and then I decided to make a listing of things to do if y'all lost a debit card while traveling overseas to help you lot out since you're probably freaking out right at present.

ane. Look i more time…everywhere

I know you have already done this x times, but please merely try 1 more than time ok? Information technology'southward easy to panic if you lot lose your debit card while traveling overseas and you may have missed a spot.

It's a adept excuse to go organized and become rid of all the receipts and ticket stubs you accept been accumulating in your bags!

One time, when I was traveling effectually Armenia solitary, I was convinced that all of my cards had been stolen. I looked everywhere multiple times and had admitted defeat.

Before crying I searched but one more than time and found that they had all fallen into a pocket of my wallet that I had never known existed. Phew!!

Merely my debit card wasn't there when I was stranded in Zambia…

2. Call your banking company and abolish your card

Accept you lot admitted defeat? Time to call your banking company, fast. My debit card thankfully wasn't stolen, and and so at that place were no fraudulent charges on my account. Simply if yours was stolen not cancelling your card ASAP could result in a bigger nightmare if you suddenly lose a ton of money!

If you lost a debit card while traveling overseas, calling your bank will be much easier if yous have Google Voice/Hangouts on your telephone or Skype or i of those cyberspace based calling services.

I personally apply Google considering calls to the USA or 1-800 numbers are often free. But finding stable internet in Zambia was another adventure…

Also, banks e'er want to send text messages or whatever to confirm your identity. This is a pain if y'all keep irresolute SIM cards (if you are going to a lot of countries).

Banks will always take fill-in questions if y'all can't receive texts.

3. Consider shipping yourself a new debit bill of fare

From what I read online, it seemed similar my banking company was ok with sending cards to Namibia and South Africa, and so I called the American Embassy in Windhoek to see if they would be able to accept a carte on my behalf. I was going to be in Namibia in a few weeks and so that would have been the easiest solution.

Nope. I should have assumed that they wouldn't help me, but if you're from the US of A and lost a debit menu while traveling overseas, don't carp calling your diplomatic mission. They told me to have information technology sent to a hotel or a place that I trust. I knew nobody in Namibia.

When I tried to check in with the bank about sending information technology they responded with:

"Ok, so right now you lot are located in the country Africa, correct? What is Nampifya?"

Sigh.  I had to detect another solution.

An expat at the hostel in Lusaka besides told me to give upwardly and find some other solution. He had several debit cards sent to him in diverse African countries from overseas over the years and none of them e'er showed up.

So yes, if you lot lost a debit card while traveling overseas on the African continent, forget about having it sent to y'all.

If you lot are traveling in other parts of the world, information technology could be a good choice. It of class depends on your trip, but many banks volition readily ship cards to hotels, private residences, and businesses around the world.

Here'due south a photo of my dad's butt.. simply kidding it's from Pixabay

4. Apply a credit carte to withdraw cash

This isn't possible in some parts of the world (COUGH COUGH especially if you accept an AMEX bill of fare…), but if yous really discover yourself in a pickle this may be the best choice for you.

I would compare the possible fees with the fees you would have to pay to wire yourself coin

5. Western Spousal relationship is your friend

Suddenly those ubiquitous Western Spousal relationship (or Moneygram or whatever is pop where you are) signs you lot always ignored have become your saving grace.

When I wired myself money, receiving the money on the same day would have cost $twoscore and receiving the money after 5 days or so costs $20.

I wired myself money to pick up in Windhoek, Namibia. But that turned into an entirely split nightmare.

If you're not an idiot like me, then Western Matrimony should provide you with some cash until you can get a new card.

Some other Western Union tips

If you lost a debit card while traveling overseas in a less frequented land (like Zambia), Western Matrimony may delay your wire and brand you answer a ton of anti-fraud questions.

I get it. A lot of scammers use Western Marriage, but these guys really pissed me off!

So be on the lookout for an email or a call. I ran into trouble because I put my sister's phone number down on my account and I forgot about it. I couldn't recall the number associated with my account during the questioning.

The Western Wedlock guy immediately became extremely aggressive with me and information technology made me and then upset! I'm stranded and penniless and some angry Western Spousal relationship employee was Non going to become away with me feeling like a criminal for no reason on top of all of that.

So I mustered up the forcefulness to tell him off and oops that came back to bite me a week after…

As well, traveling with large amounts of cash is freaky. I swear I kept all of mine in this thing and never took it off, even when I slept!

lost your debit card while traveling overseas 1

6. Start making friends and…

Paypal them coin and have them withdraw cash for you from an ATM!

Take you ever had to ask someone y'all barely know to help y'all with money problems? Eeeeek.

Thankfully if you lost a debit bill of fare while traveling overseas and are in a hostel, a lot of travelers will be able to sympathize with you since they are all agape of that happening to them.

Give them an opportunity to build up good karma!!

This also works with any other sort of digital coin transfer service like Chase Quickpay with Zelle (or whatever they are calling it at present), or Venmo, etc.

Notation that this is the easiest if you find someone who uses a banking concern from your home land. I was lucky plenty to find an American girl who helped me out. Well, she did more than help me out…she SAVED me!!

Don't forget to pay for the associated withdrawal fees!

Some Paypal Tips:

  • It'due south a practiced thought to keep some money in your Paypal account because otherwise you lot take to wait at to the lowest degree a day for it to testify up.
  • Make sure your Paypal account is connected to your banking company account and not just your (now cancelled) debit bill of fare.
  • I ever have a difficult time with this (I think they may accept taken it downwards??) but try and tell Paypal somehow that yous volition be traveling and where you will be going. Paypal is so fed up with my travels that I get locked out of my account every time I try to log in outside of the USA.

Some final tips if you lost a debit bill of fare while traveling overseas:

  • Have multiple banking concern accounts and multiple debit cards [with cards that aren't expired or about to expire] so then you lot can just transfer from ane banking concern account to another. This isn't helpful if your banking concern accounts are in two separate countries since international transfer fees can be really loftier.
  • When using ATMs, try to use ones continued to banks where people can aid you if the ATM automobile eats your card. If you just apply a costless continuing one on the street that can turn into another nightmare!
  • Don't have an Amex card as your emergency fill-in.
  • If it is impossible to receive your debit card on the road, accept it sent to a family member or friend's house in a place you will eventually exist able to retrieve it. He or she may be able to activate your card and give yous the numbers (via the telephone) so that you can try to book some things like charabanc tickets or hotel rooms in advance online.
  • Airbnb is 1 of those websites where you never demand to commutation cash, and and so you lot can save some of your limited, wire-transfered cash by booking accommodation there!

Good luck to you!

Even with all of these setbacks, I'yard proud to say I never cried over this. As well, since I'one thousand from the Midwest and have to put a positive spin on everything…losing my debit card actually helped me stick to my budget!

Delight know that this will NOT ruin your trip if you don't allow information technology! Stay stiff if you lost a debit carte while traveling overseas!