CAA Saskatchewan Fall 2016 | Page 44

A F i e l d G u i d e to s n ow b i r d i n G M I G RATO RY PAT T E R N S The SouThern u.S. iS a Sunny beT, buT flock To a new SpoT for SomeThing beyond The uSual money matters LONG-sTAY HOLIDAY: you don’t have to commit to the same destination every year. book an extended-stay vacation with caa travel to explore one city or country for 21 days or more. it’s a great way to live like a local, immersing yourself in regional food, fun, sights and sounds. sOUTH AFRICA: yes, it’s far. but once you’ve landed in cape town or Johannesburg, you can use the cities as a home base to explore all the continent has to offer. Smaller safari and domestic airlines offer good deals on shorthaul flights. AUsTRALIA: this spring, air canada debuted its new direct flight from Vancouver to brisbane— the first direct flight from canada to the land down under. So now it’s easier than ever to soak up the sun of the aussie gold coast. CARIBBEAN: think beyond Jamaica to venture to some lesser-known islands. Villas and longerstay options are springing up in cuba. or consider some off-the-beaten-path hot spots like St. kitts and nevis, dominica or bonaire. 44 fall 2016 CAA SaSKaTCHEWaN Travelling with your CAA Rewards MasterCard? Pierre Dufour, vice president, cards and payment solutions at National Bank of Canada, shares his expert tips to keep your cards safe while you’re away. WHAT sHOULD I DO BEFORE WHAT HAppENs IF mY CARD I LEAVE THE COUNTRY? Is sTOLEN OR TRANsACTION Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to notify your credit card company when you’re leaving the country. No matter where in the world you use your card, fraud detection systems monitor your account at all times. Is DECLINED? Call your bank right away. You can reach National Bank at 1-888-9MY-CARD (1-888969-2273), 24/7. We accept collect calls too. Agents will either send a replacement or immediately “unfreeze” your account if a transaction is truly your own. REALLY? I DON’T NEED TO TELL THEm? WILL mY CARD BE Really. What you should do though is make sure your bank has your current cell phone number on file—if any fraudulent activity is detected, we’ll call you immediately to verify individual transactions. ACCEpTED WHEREVER I GO? I TRIED BUYING sOmETHING BUT mY CARD WAs DECLINED. WHAT’s Up? National Bank uses a variety of tools to analyze purchasing transactions, so that we can implement advanced fraud detection. Your account may have been temporarily frozen because we spotted a suspicious purchase. CAA Rewards MasterCard is accepted worldwide. If the chip-and-PIN feature— inserting card, entering PIN—is not available, the magnetic strip will be. Canadian banks and credit card companies use chipand-PIN technology, while the U.S. is currently migrating to it. Many American locations will process transactions using the swipe-and-sign system. (Europe widely accepts chipand-PIN cards.) sHOULD I ALsO CARRY CAsH? Bring some cash in the local currency for small purchases. It’s also a good idea to carry your debit card—banks will rush a replacement to you if your primary card is stolen. HOW CAN I pROTECT mY CARD WHILE I’m AWAY? Many cards are stolen from parked vehicles, so never leave them in a glove compartment. Memorize your PIN and don’t write it down. If you carry both a credit and debit card, keep them in different places—if you lose your wallet, you’ll still have a card. DOEs mY CARD OFFER ANY TRAVEL pERks? CAA Rewards MasterCard offers baggage insurance— if luggage is lost or delayed, you can receive up to $100 per day (for up to three days). Plus you can use the CAA Dollars you earn with the card to pay for your next vacation from CAA Travel. Apply for a CAA rewards masterCard: caask.ca/mastercard