How many CC do you take as a couple?

Four.
I take a debit card and credit card, from different companies.
Wife does the same.
Don't skimp here, you want to err on the side of bringing too many credit and debit cards, not too few.

I use the strategy that several options are better than putting your eggs in one basket.

For my wife and I, we each have a primary Debit/ATM card on the same account and a primary CC on the same account that we each take and use for most everything. Having duplicates offers one level of security, plus we are not always together.

In addition, we also have 1 or 2 other credit cards on different accounts along in case we have issues with the primary (in a dozen trips, it happens maybe every other trip someplace) with at least on CC that we are able to get a cash advance on from an ATM. These we also keep at least one in a different place from the others.

We are also looking at opening a second bank account (Charles Schwab is a good candidate) to have another debit card as a cash back-up.

A card can be shut down at any time. There may suddenly be a lot of fraudulent transactions that the issuer notices, and boom, your card number is down. Not the account, but that card number that you hold in your hand. So maybe get a second debit card, and take both credits. Split them up between you.

We have CapOne and Schwab accounts for travel, we each have an ATM card for each account, and our cards on a given account have different numbers, so that gives us 4 ATM cards to work with, as on either account the daily withdrawal limit applies to each card.. Prior to opening the Schwab this year we only had the one account we used for travel. Up until then for peace of mind we did carry the ATM card from our regular local banking package, but never used it since it involves a ton of fees.. We only carry one credit card, and as of last month we each have a different card on the same account, CapOne when issuing the new chip cards to us gave different credit cards for each user on the account. If some issue were to happen to the credit card we could still manage on cash. This actually happened in a sense last summer in Copenhagen when we found they wouyld only accept chip and pin. So we just pulled more cash.

We have never felt unsafe each of us carrying both ATM cards and the credit card, let's hear it for the money belt.

My husband and I travel with 4 credit card accounts, and Visa debit cards for 2 different bank accounts.

As others have noted, an account can be suspended with no notice, and you need back up. Two trips ago my favorite card got shut off by the issuer for suspected fraud - despite the fact that I had called them to tell them my travel dates and destinations. I was able to call and get it turned back on, but in the meantime we needed to check in to our flat, so we used a card from a different issuer. That's happened to me a small number of times both overseas and when traveling domestically.

Cards are light and small so take several with you. Lost, stolen, shut off by issuer, snapped in half, whatever fate befalls a card, if you each have a different card on you, and you keep the one(s) you don't plan to use that day somewhere safe (money belt or hotel safe) you'll have a back up if you need it.

In a related matter, remember to keep photocopies of the cards (or the information contained on them) separately in your luggage. Just in case you need to call and cancel lost/stolen cards while on the trip.

We carry four debit cards tied to two different accounts - credit union and a bank for back up. The credit union actually counts as two as each credit union card has different account numbers. We test both debit cards within the first couple of days to make sure both are working.

We carry four separate credit cards with pin numbers. At any one time I will have one credit card and one debit in secured pockets with the balance split between wife and self and in the money belt we each wear. Never trust a hotel safe. Can you tell I am an old engineer by training who prefers backups and redundancy? In all of our years of travel never had problem with credit or debit cards that didn't work or anything lost but there is always the next trip.

PS I am not a big fan of keeping a photo copy of your credit cards in your luggage. A photo copy of your credit card is almost as good as having the credit card, especially if you photo front and back. That is all they need for a telephone order. I do keep copies of my credit card numbers but in a alpha substitution code. That way if some gets hold of my copy, it means nothing to them.

I agree with the idea of carrying one debit, one MasterCard and one Visa. Just make sure you have the international customer service number for each card handy in case of any problems. I've never traveled to Europe with my American Express card (I'm a bit too young to have used traveler's checks...although I do remember the Karl Malden commercials). There seems to be mixed opinions about AmEx amongst travelers. I've never tried to use it abroad.

Okay, we'll start with the fact that I pay for all the expenses for our European trips. That means that my husband's credit and debit cards are the backups. So far, we have never needed or used them because mine failed.

We belong to two credit unions, BECU in Seattle and HFCU in Tucson. We are listed on each other's BECU accounts, but our credit and debit cards are totally separate. So that's a total of 2 credit cards and 2 debit cards right there. The HFCU account is a joint one. We have no credit cards on it and two, separately numbered, debit cards for it. We take both of those. We keep all cards in our money belts.

Did you keep score? The total is 2 credit cards and 4 debit cards and we take them all.

I'm planning a solo trip to GB for May. For that, I will take my BECU credit card, my BECU debit card and both HFCU debit cards. I use my HFCU one all the time at home, but he uses his so rarely that I have to use it at least once a year to keep it current. So all by myself, I'll have one credit card and 3 debit cards. I mostly operate in cash, so that should work fine.

I'm not a couple, but I will answer anyway. :-)

I take a total of 6 cards. Two debit cards = One each from two different completely unassociated banks. Four credit cards = one each of Visa MasterCard and American Express and the fourth is either a Visa or MasterCard. The fourth card is the one that charges the lowest fees and is the one I will use the most.

Why so many? My first trip out of the country I took one debit and credit card both from the same bank. When my debit card was denied for "unexpected possibly fraudulent activity" (even though I told them I was traveling) my credit card was also shut off. It took multiple phone calls over several days before it all got straightened out. Thankfully I had enough cash in pocket to cover meals.

So, better be over prepared and over equipped and have nothing go wrong than to skimp on the cards and get stuck.

I will take Debit or credit cards for me and my wife which will be helpful to us while we will be in need of money.

I don't use credit cards very much (average once per trip), but I use a debit/ATM card regularly. I usually take three, but only use one or two (If my trip spans two calendar months, my bank gives me four totally free ATM withdrawals. After that, I use my credit union debit card, which only charges 1%).

I try to pay cash when I can because I have found the places that take credit cards charge more to start with.

Debit cards : Schwab plus two separate bank cards as backup (Schwab refunds all ATM fees.)

Credit cards : Chase Explorer is our main card, plus two Capital One cards (chip and signature) with separate numbers on the same account. No foreign exchange fees. Emergency cards from two other issuers, but these have foreign exchange fees so really emergency only.

All of these carried in money belts all the time.

Don't forget to call or go online for each of your cards to give them the dates and places you will be traveling. My daughter didn't when she went to Australia for two months -- luckily I was home when CapOne's Fraud Department called so I emailed her the instructions on what number to call collect so she could have her credit card reauthorized.

Thanks evetyone, looks like we will take all of our cards. Each of us have 3 cards each on the same accounts. We just got the no transaction Capital One, I just assumed the capital one is the same account. What really sold me is the comment of what if one broke, or if it just didn't work. The other spouse then has the same card. We have called and told each bank our travel dates.

I took a picture of the back of my credit cards, but made sure just the telephone numbers were showing...no account numbers. I think I will write that down somewhere, too.

I will keep them in my waist wallet at all times with my passport, which I've also made copies of.

Lulu, take a look at your CapOne card numbers -- on the newly-issued cards there are unique numbers on each card even if they are on the same account, so if one gets lost / stolen / damaged you can block it and still use the other. Same on my Amex, but my other joint cards have the same number on both cards so blocking one makes the other useless.

As a solo traveler I will add my 2 cents, too. Last Wed I noticed a fraudulent charge on my Delta Amex card. It was pending and they could not cancel the card til it posted which it did on Thurs. Card cancelled and I was leaving on Sat. No way to get it to me until This week with Labor Day in the mix. I always travel with that card (in addition to a Visa card) because it has a ridiculously high limit. I figure if there is a catastrophic event and i need an immediate airline ticket that's my go to. I brought my Costco Amex for back up instead. It's limit is not as high but it's enough.

I also carry 2 debit cards. I had gone in to the local credit union to do a travel notification and darn it, wouldn't you know it did not work when i tried it Monday in London. Fortunately my brother is authorized on the account and he called to get it straightened out. Very aggravating but I would have been up a creek without a backup debit on a brokerage account.

I've never had so much trouble before! I had a couple hundred British Pounds in hand before I left home and was OK with the back up cards but now I'm considering taking a 3rd card of each....debit and credit!