Travel checklist – get your banking sorted

If you tell us when and where you’re planning to go, we can keep an eye out for suspicious activity on your account. There are a couple of ways you can do this.

Log in and select ‘Going overseas’ under ‘International’ from the main menu.

Log in and fill out an Overseas Travel Notification.

There are many ways to take money overseas, but a good place to start is to work out how much you might spend each day – you can then work out how much money you need. Remember to carry a mix of cash and card to keep your options open.

Make sure to activate your card if it’s new, and check the credit limit and expiry date. Another idea is to add your new card to Apple Pay or Google Pay™, so you can make purchases wherever contactless payments are accepted.

If you’re taking cash, it helps to exchange currency before you leave – to pay for transport and food when you first arrive.

There are a few things you can do to stay on top of your finances while you’re away.

If you’re regularly paying for things like rent or bills, you could avoid late fees with scheduled payment transfers. It’s great if you want to set and forget payments while you’re away.

Avoid getting caught short on your trip and monitor your accounts with Bankwest Easy Alerts. Depending on the type of account you have, you could receive a notification before a scheduled payment is due or when your balance drops to a nominated amount.

Certain transactions require an SMS code to complete, so if you’re planning to have data roaming enabled, you can register for SMS code. This means you can easily manage transactions and purchases while you’re away – instead of having to contact us.

You can also set up PIN or fingerprint login within the Bankwest App to make payments and transfers while you’re away without the need for SMS code.

• 5 ways to survive saving for a holiday
• Ways to make money overseas
• How to save on credit card fees while you travel