Trent Green is our special guest giving our clients some great tips for spring and summer travel. Trent is Oakworth’s Managing Director, Treasury Management.
Travel Tips
Ah, Spring time…..warmer temps, pollen in the air and the beginning of travel season. Every year, March and April kick off an extended travel season for many of our clients. Whether that travel sends you to the beach, the lake, the mountains, the islands or overseas, the one constant is that these activities can cause disruption and frustration when trying to manage your banking relationship. Our goal is to offer tips that will hopefully minimize the impacts travel can have with your finances.
Debit Cards – One of the most popular ways clients access funds in their account for day to day and travel related charges is through the use of their debit card. Whether getting cash, booking trips, or daily charges while you travel, debit cards offer a convenient and effective way to use the cash in your bank account….if they work.
Unfortunately, in today’s world, card fraud is one of the major headaches that banks and their clients have to contend with. In fact, industry estimates place the impact of card related fraud in the US around $12B in 2016. Because of this, banks and card partners employ a host of analytics in an attempt to lessen the impact of fraud and to allow cardholders to operate without interruption. A lot of these analytics center around the use of location and spending patterns as major factors in determining the legitimacy of a transaction. Certainly travel changes the locations where our card is used and often times our spending levels increase and this can cause problems. TRANSACTION DENIED. This can be embarrassing and frustrating when it occurs even though it has become somewhat commonplace across the industry.
So, the question is how do you, as an Oakworth Capital client, minimize the potential impact that travel can have when using your debit card. There are tools that Oakworth Capital offers that can assist in making travel a breeze.
- Travel Notes – Notifying Oakworth of your travel plans and dates can reduce or eliminate the possibility that a transaction gets flagged as “suspicious”. You can contact your Client Advisor or the Solutions Group to place notes on your account.
- Limit Adjustments – Travel can mean a greater level of spending for a specific period of time. Oakworth can assist you in temporarily increasing your card limit during your travels.
- Updated Contact Information – Remember to notify Oakworth of any updates or changes in your mobile phone number and e-mail address
- Suspicious Transaction Alert – Oakworth utilizes a notification platform that will text, e-mail or call a cardholder if a transaction is flagged as “suspicious” for any reason. All forms of communication are interactive and contain instructions on how to respond. Your card is automatically enrolled in this service.
- SecurLock Equip – Oakworth now offers a debit card control app that allows the cardholder to actively manage their debit card. The app allows the user to turn a card on/off, set a GPS location tracker or manually set travel locations, restrict certain transactions and manage other key card functions. SecurLock Equip is free and can be downloaded in the App Store. The Solutions Group can assist you in establishing this service.
- Afterhours Support – Oakworth offers Afterhours Support for Debit Cards. By calling our main number, (205)263-4700 and choosing Option #2, you can speak with a representative that will be able to review your card activity and determine if there is an issue preventing your card from functioning.
Credit Cards – Many of our clients choose to have Oakworth’s Credit Card in their wallet along with their Oakworth Debit Card and other major cards. Much like debit cards, credit cards can experience the same issues due to travel. Many of the same steps that are recommended for debit cards can be used in ensuring that your credit card use is uninterrupted.
- Travel Notes – Notifying Oakworth of your travel plans and dates can reduce or eliminate the possibility that a transaction gets flagged as “suspicious”. You can contact your Client Advisor or the Solutions Group to place notes on your account.
- Updated Contact Information – Remember to notify Oakworth of any updates and changes in your mobile phone number and e-mail address
- Suspicious Transaction Alert – Oakworth utilizes a notification platform that will text, e-mail or call a cardholder if a transaction is flagged as “suspicious” for any reason. All forms of communication contain instructions on how to respond. Your card is automatically enrolled in this service.
- Afterhours Support – 24/7 support is available for your credit card. Support can be reached by calling the support number (800)854-7642. This number is also located on the top left corner on the back of the card and under the “Contact Us” tab on the Oakworth Capital homepage.
Online/Mobile Banking and Bill Pay – Being away from home and our daily routine is a welcome break for all of us however, necessary money movement and bills don’t stop just because we are enjoying time away. Using Online/Mobile banking to keep your financial world in motion has become commonplace. Beyond simply monitoring your accounts, there are a number of tools available to Oakworth clients that can eliminate the chance that something is missed while in that relaxed state of mind.
- Account access – Monitoring accounts through our Online/Mobile banking platforms can assist in ensuring that your financial world stays on track
- Transfers – Many of our clients transfer funds between accounts on a weekly or monthly basis. Using the scheduling features available under the “Transfers” tab will prevent payments and transfers from being missed.
- Bill Payment – Using E-Bill options, auto pay options and scheduling of future payments can all be used to ensure that bills are not missed while you are travelling
As always, Oakworth Capital is here to answer any questions you have and to assist you in ensuring that your travel, from a financial management aspect, is as smooth and stress fee as possible. Please contact your Oakworth Client Advisor or the Solutions Group at (205) 263-4700 if you have questions and enjoy your trip!!