« Tag your Bag | Main | Thanksgiving Travel Tips »
Dealing with Losses
November 21, 2008 | Permalink
A lost or stolen wallet can put a big damper on business or pleasure travel. After that first blast of emotion, the big question is, “What do I do now?” Road Warrior has some suggestions.
Lost or stolen wallets present two problems: money to complete the trip and stopping fraudulent use of credit cards and personal identification. Hopefully, you heeded Road Warrior’s earlier advice to keep some of your cash and an extra credit card in a secure place, like a safe deposit box at your Extended Stay Hotel.
Since quick notification of the loss is important, make copies of bank cards and identification and keep the copies with you in a safe place. Better yet, scan front and back of these documents and send them as a secure email attachment to yourself. Since Extended Stay Hotels offers Wi-Fi in all of its rooms, travelers with laptops will have all the information they need at their fingertips.
Document the details of calls to banks and credit card companies, noting information like when you discovered the card was missing, the date and time of the call, the name of person you spoke with, and any details.
If you’re on an extended vacation or business trip, you will need a replacement card. Most companies provide replacement cards by mail without charge within three to five business days. For a fee, new cards will be sent by expedited mail within one to two days. Be sure to have the address of your hotel handy when you make the call.
Given current identity theft issues, consider reporting the theft to the three national credit-reporting agencies (Equifax 800-525-6285, Experian 888-397-3742, Trans Union 800-680-7289), asking them to attach a “fraud alert” to your lost credit cards.
Business travel can be profitable, and vacations can be fun. Don’t let lost or stolen valuables ruin your next trip.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83452aac569e201053615869d970c
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Dealing with Losses :
