I keep reading about using a money belt for keeping passports and large bills safe. I also have read that people use their cards for purchases a lot. If you’re supposed to keep your credit card in your money belt, wouldn’t it be obvious to pick pockets that you have one when you’re reaching in the front of your pants every time you want to use it? I thought that the money belt was to keep everything safe. I guess my question is should I just keep spending money in a secure pocket or can I keep a credit card too?
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5837 posts
I keep my back up account cards in my neck wallet under my shirt.
We also have his and her Capital One credit cards with different card numbers but same account. Capital One has the ability to freeze one card without impacting the other.
Posted by
Washington DC
27929 posts
I keep about a day's worth of spending money and my primary credit card in my wallet, which is inside a zipped-up section of my purse (a cross-body bag). My primary ATM card lives in a separate area of my purse, behind two zippers. I keep extra local currency (if I have any) and secondary credit and ATM cards in a money belt. However, I leave the money belt in my hotel room, locked inside my suitcase, except on days when I'm changing hotels.
I've played around with leaving my main ATM and credit cards back in the hotel when I know I won't need them, but I tend to forget that I've done that and don't have what I need in my purse the next day.
I can't imagine wandering around most days without an accessible credit card and some spending money, but burying the credit card in a money belt might work for people who buy all their museum entries and train tickets ahead of time. Not sure how they pay for meals, though.
Posted by
Midwest
2768 posts
Yes, I have one credit card and cash for the day in an accessible place (wallet in my purse). My other cards and extra cash are in a safer place. If don’t often use a money belt so I keep those items in the hotel safe or in a pocket inside my purse, safety pinned closed
Some countries are nearly cashless (almost all transactions paid via credit card), some rarely use credit cards and are mostly cash. I most often visit Spain and Italy, where both cash and cards are common so I have both easily available.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23604 posts
The credit card, perhaps a debit card if I need more cash that day, and fifty euros or go into a couple of different secure pockets on the pants/shirt that I am wearing. Everything is in the money belt. In fact I wear my money belt high and in the middle of my back under my clothing. So it is difficult for me to reach as it should be. The money belt is not a billfold that you wear behind your belt buckle.
Posted by
Folsom
2732 posts
For the most part we keep credit cards in the money belt and a little pocket cash accessible. If we are going to a venue that requires tickets and using a credit card I carry the card outside the money belt. But once I’m in the venue I visit the restroom and put it back. For restaurants, when the check comes I visit the rest room, get the credit card out, visit the restroom again before we leave and put it back. This might be overkill but it meets my comfort level. I simply do not want to lose a credit card overseas.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7995 posts
I keep a credit card and maybe 50-100 euro in a thin billfold in my front pocket. Other cash, credit cards, and debit cards safe elsewhere.
Is my billfold safe and pickpocket proof in my front pocket? For a determined pickpocket, probably not. In many trips though, I have never had a problem, let's face it, the chances are very low. As important, the worst happens, I am not out much and I have several backups.