This fall we will be in Spain for two months, our first trip abroad in over ten years. Every month I usually pay a couple of credit card bills over the internet site of my US bank. Is this safe? I understand that using an unsecure wifi link is not safe. What about if I have access to one with a password?
I have probably read too much on hacking now and it has me feeling very worried. Would love to hear what more seasoned travelers do.
Thanks
Your credit card site likely uses two factor identification, meaning you log in, and then it sends a verification code over text or email. In that case, you are pretty much safe, it would be hard for someone to crack that (which is why they do it). Even if you do not always see the verification, they may "trust your device" but if someone else tried to log in. it would trigger a verification, and you would get a notification.
If your CC site uses no verification, then that is an issue.
For that, you can also subscribe to a VPN (Virtual Private Network), which encrypts the traffic, plus spoofs it to a different ISP.
I don't use public or hotel wifi for anything to do with my bank. I use my mobile phone data for this purpose. On our last trip to Spain (February to April 2023) I used an Airalo eSIM in my phone and it worked very well. I have a VPN as well.
There’s always some degree of risk involved. Your hotel’s WiFi will be your best bet but most are not secure. A password protected network helps, but it’s no guarantee. If you pay the same bills every month, consider setting up monthly automatic payments so you wouldn’t need to log in. If I log into anything while overseas I use a VPN. I do log into one account to ensure any credit card transactions are correct and that the card I use hasn’t been compromised.
That being said, even with a VPN you’re assuming administrator access to the hotel modem/network is restricted and that nobody has installed spyware or keylogging software at any point between the hotel and the ultimate destination.
I know all the stories. We do a half a dozen payments using the credit card payment site (Not the bank) . Knock on wood. We have never had any problems.
If you don't have some form of mobile data access and are planning to rely on wi-fi
for 2 months, I suspect you are going to have other issues you haven't thought of
yet as well.
If you do, just turn off wi-fi on your phone for the 5 minutes it takes to log into the
bank website and pay the bill(s). If you use a laptop to do this, check to see if your
phone can be used as a hotspot and set that up before you leave.
But you can always pay your bill as soon as the statement is issued, so if you limit
your card usage in the month before your trip to one card and pay the bill before
you leave, you should only have to deal with this situation once, or maybe not at
all.
Also, this question is not really Spain-specific. If you have any followups you might
want to consider using the Technology Tips section.
If you're going to stay for two months, I advise you to purchase a local SIM card, firstly to avoid expensive bills on your return home, and secondly because it'll allow you to pay directly from your phone using a secure one-to-one data call, with no wifi risks. With a data plan, you can also make your calls home via Whatsapp/Signal/Messenger -whatever software you use!- at a ridiculous cost.
If your phone supports two SIM cards, you can have both (yours and the Spanish one) on simultaneously, thus receiving your calls to your personal number and making calls via the Spanish number. If it doesn't, you can program the transfer of your calls to your number to the new local number. Check your provider though cause this can be expensive -depending on the competitiveness of your regular telephone provider.
There are several companies offering telephone service in Spain (https://www.kelisto.es/telefonia-movil/mejor-compra/las-mejores-tarifas-de-prepago-3001) but, to be frank, for peace of mind I'd stick to the biggest ones namely Vodaphone, Orange and Movistar. In all instances, they offer quite competitive prepaid rates (no contract required) ranging from 10-15€/month for unlimited calls and 50 to 100GB of data, more than enough for a "normal user".
These days, telephone service in most European countries has become a commodity and the prices are quite low. Compare this to the services offered in your country for "international travellers", and you'll notice that most often you're better off getting a local SIM.
An added bonus: with a SIM card from any EU carrier, you can enjoy the same rates (the same ones!) when you're travelling in any other EU country.
We use ExpressVPN, we have had it for a while, There is Windows App as well as an iPhone app that lets you choose which country/server to connect to, easily toggled on/off.
Pretty wise to keep on top of billing when traveling abroad. Have had problems with some utility bills that get delivered in the mail shortly after we leave and the due date is before we get back home, so have to pay a penalty. If I trusted the system more I would have autopay set up with those entities.
My credit cards allow automatic payment direct from my bank account on a date I specify. 3 different issuers. Is this an option for you? The autopay can be turned off if you don’t wish to use itbwhile at home. Check the CC website and your account settings.
Yes, put these two cards on autopay for the months you are gone. Any new sim card, will trigger two-factor authentication and you won't have your US phone available to receive the text message. 2FA is a PIA for all ex-pats and overseas travelers that don't have a working US number if their banks or credit cards do not offer email for 2FA.
BTW, I'd never trust a hotel system even ones that have a locked system. Receiving your bank's text messages about purchases on the hotel's wifi should be safe.
Thanks all.
Now to do some digesting of your suggestions.....
