The holidays are a glorious time, but they’re also stressful as hell. Between shopping for your loved ones, cooking massive amounts of food, and cleaning the house, it’s no wonder so many of us are looking for ways to relieve the stress.
One way we can relieve the stress is by taking a vacation, and the perfect time for a vacation is during the holiday season. Thanks to the wonders of technology, taking your vacation during the holidays has never been easier. For those of us who love to shop, visit family, and eat large meals, it’s the best of all worlds!
But if you’re planning on traveling during the holidays, whether it’s a long trip or a short one, there are a few things you need to do. First of all, you need to make sure that you have everything you need. Besides your PNC credit card, which we’ll get to in a bit, the essentials are:
- A camera to take photos of all the attractions you see
- A laptop or desktop computer to browse the internet and make online purchases
- WiFi hotspot adapter to connect to the internet wherever you go
- A travel agent to help you make your travel arrangements
- A US or UK bank account to fund your travels
- A credit card to fund your travels (we’ll get to this later)
- A vacation destination
- Airfare to your destination
- A hotel to stay in (whether its luxury or not)
- Meals and activities planned for you while there
- A rental car to get around
- One or two people to help you navigate your travel plans (if you’re going by yourself)
If you don’t have anyone to help you as part of your travel party, don’t expect to be able to get through all of this hassle without help. Instead, consider hiring a professional organizer who can help you make sure that everything is taken care of. They can help you fill out all the forms necessary for your travel plans (including the PNC credit card authorization), plan out shopping lists and meals for you and your family, and much more. They can make sure that everything is taken care of so that you can focus on having a good time instead of worrying about details.
The PNC Credit Card
If you plan on doing a lot of your holiday shopping online, you need to have a credit card that’s accepted there. Fortunately for us, PNC bank issued a credit card that’s accepted anywhere. It’s called the PNC credit card and it has a cashback feature that rewards you for making online purchases. It also has a travel ban that prevents you from being billed for any foreign transactions unless you choose to accept them. This prevents any nasty surprises when you’re abroad.
The best part about this card is that it is accepted virtually everywhere. Since most online stores are based in the US and the charges from abroad are typically higher than those from within the country, this is a great way to ensure that you’re getting the best prices. Of course, you need to look out for additional fees that might pop up from time to time, but for the most part, this is a great option.
How To Use The PNC Credit Card
Let’s say that you’ve decided to use the PNC credit card to make your travel arrangements and you’ve filled out the necessary forms to book your airfare and hotel rooms. The next step is to verify your credit card information with the bank. To do this, you’ll need to call them and provide them with some documentation that I.D’s you as the cardholder. This documentation includes a billing address, phone number, and an email address (preferably from the same place you registered your credit card).
After the bank has verified your identity, they’ll approve your travel order and issue a temporary PIN number that you can use to make further online purchases. While you’re at it, you can also ask them to change the billing address on your account to the address where you’ll be traveling. This is helpful because you can use the same PIN number to make purchases at several different destinations if you happen to get a chargeback from the bank. In that case, you won’t have to request a new PIN since your current one will be useless. You can ask them to change your billing address and temporary PIN number online through the Global FAQ section of the PNC site.
Now that you have a PIN number and the necessary documentation that you need to travel, its time to make online purchases. Remember, the PNC credit card is accepted everywhere and it has a cash-back feature that rewards you for making online purchases. There are also various promotions and discounts that you can take advantage of through the PNC site (just check their offerings from time to time).
To make an online purchase with your credit card, simply go to the merchant’s website from PNC (assuming they are a valid merchant and their site is legal in your jurisdiction). Once you’re on their site, click the “Proceed to checkout” button to bring you to the next page. Now, you need to fill out the necessary information for the store, including your shipping address. If you’ve been diligent and used a travel agent to help you make your travel arrangements, the agent will have your shipping address already. However, if you’ve been careless or lazy and didn’t use a travel agent, you’ll need to find out the shipping address manually. Don’t worry, you can do this using the “Find my nearest store” feature on their site. Just enter your full address in the search bar and click “Search locations.”
After you’ve entered your shipping information, click “continue to next page.” The next page will have additional information about the product or service that you’re interested in buying and there will be a box at the top where you can enter your credit card information. Make sure to use an authorized merchant for all online purchases (even if it’s just a few dollars). This ensures that you’re not leaving your bank account information open to fraud and identity theft. For more information on security and privacy, visit PNC’s website.
Additional Documentation
If you plan to travel outside the US with your PNC credit card, you’ll need additional documentation. In many cases, you’ll need a passport or ID card to enter the country (most likely the passport). Additionally, you’ll need to bring along your credit card (as we’ve discussed so far) and a list of all the places you’ll be visiting (including the cities, airports, and hotels).
If you plan to stay in one place for a while during your trip, you don’t need to worry about documenting your stay as much. Simply bring along your credit card, passport, and ID card for the duration of your visit (as we’ve discussed so far). While you’re in the country, you can also ask the police for a copy of your passport and visa (just to be on the safe side). Don’t forget to file a police report if you get a crime or fraud attempted while you’re abroad (even if it’s just a few dollars!).
In most cases, the visa is not needed to enter the country, but its advisable to get it anyway. In some countries, you may need a visa to visit at all. The police report will hopefully keep all the scammers away and help you get your money back if there’s been any fraud attempted. A simple phone call to the hotel or airline might also do the trick. But you never know what sort of tricks these scammers will try, so its better to be safe than sorry.
The Final Step
After you’ve made all the necessary online purchases (using your PNC credit card), its time to relax and enjoy your travels. The only thing left to do is to wait for your bank to settle the charges (assuming it hasn’t been flagged for additional fees). Don’t fret, travel is fun and exciting, but there’s a lot of paperwork associated with it. Use the above information to help you along the way and you’ll enjoy your travels without worry.