credit card advice

You should never be fishing anything out of your money belt in public, period. A money belt is for deep storage - access it only in a private place, like a hotel room or restroom. You should have your daily spending money and perhaps a credit card in a more accessible place, as you did, and I guess if I was a guy, I would choose a front pocket, as opposed to a back one. Awareness is key. People are not constantly in situations where you come into physical contact with strangers, and the risk just isn't there (like traveling in a rental car or walking on an uncrowded street). In more crowded situations, you should be aware of your surroundings, and it should be fine. In your situation, you probably made the best choice.

Agree with Nancy completely. You might want to consider keeping your "day wallet" in a buttoned or zippered shirt pocket rather than the front pocket of your pants. TC

Well Craig, I'll confess to the same behavior. I keep the valuable stuff in a neck wallet instead of a money belt, but daily cash in a wallet in my right front pants pocket, where my right hand often is also. After a few days in a city, if I'm using the credit card much, it somehow migrates from the neck into the pants wallet where it's more convenient. I know this violates RS orthodoxy and I expect to pay for my sin someday, as you will too no doubt, at the hands of a capable pickpocket. But so far so good (famous last words....).

FWIW I'd never do this with a debit card, which accesses my bank account. That stays in the neck wallet between ATMs. But I don't share your discomfort with ATM withdrawals. I look for an actual bank branch, of a well-known bank, during banking hours, with staff present, and preferably a machine inside the bank or a vestibule, and I try to be careful about entering the PIN to avoid spies (my wife hovers helpfully to deflect watchers). Again, so far so good.

Maybe we should form a chapter of "Front Pocket Guys Anonymous" to help talk each other down from this bad habit, or maybe just enjoy our travels with appropriate prudence and always that nonchalant American hands-in-pockets style! It would be much harder with a purse, I'm sure.

Edit -- BTW I agree entirely with Nancy about the money belt (or neck wallet for that matter) being only for deep storage. My neck wallet is outside flapping on my chest only in airports checking into flights or clearing immigration.

I also think you did just fine. The idea is to keep the minimum items you need both handy to you and under your control. I'm also a person who tries not to access the deep storage in public. That usually means refreshing the cash in my wallet each morning or evening in my hotel room. One credit or debit card is handy while others are in storage. If your debit card has a Visa or MasterCard logo, I believe you are offered the same fraud protection as with those credit cards, therefore I don't discriminate between which type of card is in my wallet.

My husband carries his wallet in a front pocket when we are traveling in a city, in its usual back pocket when out of cities. We keep an eye on each other in crowded places. Neither of us wear a money belt or neck wallet, I find them both very uncomfortable. I do carry our passports in a neck wallet on our travel days to have the passports handy at the airport.
Passports, any extra credit/debit cards, & cash are left in our room/apt when we are out and about for the day.
I carry my credit cards and cash in a cross body handbag. When we are in crowds, I keep it in front of me with my hand on top of the zipper, holding it against my body.
Knock on wood, we've have never had a problem.

My solution is using a money belt , which I only access in the hotel , and a light neck pouch with the days cash , a credit card , and a debit card . I also have multiple debit and credit cards in my belt in case anything happens to one . In five years of protracted travel in Europe I have not had a problem . I understand that my experience is entirely anecdotal , so take my comment on face value .