• New online guide for consumers provides key facts and tips
• Fraud committed abroad on UK-issued cards has fallen for the fourth consecutive year
• £20.8 billion spent abroad last year on plastic cards

APACS, the UK payments association, today (19 June 2006) published a new guide Using your cards on holiday giving UK consumers simple advice when travelling abroad this summer with their debit and credit cards.

Available from www.choosingandusing.com the guide provides a wealth of advice covering payments abroad, including the latest tips on how to use your card safely and how to get the best deal when you are either taking cash out of a cash machine or just buying a gift for someone you love. 

While fraud committed abroad on UK cards has fallen for the fourth consecutive year to £82.8 million* (2005 figure, down from a high of £138.4 million in 2001), APACS advises UK holidaymakers not to be complacent when using their cards abroad and to keep an eye on their card at all times. 

APACS statistics show that last year we spent £20.8 billion abroad on UK-issued cards – £20.4 billion on credit and debit cards for meals and holiday presents, both for ourselves and friends whilst £343 million of cash was taken out of overseas cash machines. 

Sandra Quinn, director of communications at APACS, says:
“More and more each year our cards rank alongside passports and suncream as holiday essentials.  After all, we spent nearly £21 billion abroad last year, and this figure is set to increase in 2006.  It’s important that cardholders follow the simple advice set out in our guide and use their cards safely when they are abroad. 

“While industry initiatives, such as chip and PIN, have made the life of the international card thief more difficult, we must still follow a few simple rules to make sure we are protected when on holiday.  Simple things like using a concealed money belt to hide our cards and checking our statements carefully on our return can make all the difference.” 

The guide is available at http://www.choosingandusing.com/Downloads/holiday.pdf  and www.apacs.org.uk.

*Card fraud losses that occur overseas on UK-issued cards have decreased for the fourth consecutive year.  Fraud abroad in 2005 accounted for just under one-fifth of fraud (19 per cent) on UK cards.  Over one-third (40 per cent) of fraud abroad took place in just three countries:

France accounted for 14 per cent (£11.6 million) of losses on UK cards used abroad;

USA 14 per cent (£11.2 million);

Spain 12 per cent (£9.5 million). 

ENDS

For further information contact the APACS Cards Information Office:

T: 0870 420 3208 E: apacs@fourcommunications.com

APACS is the UK payments association. It provides the forum for the UK's financial institutions to come together on non-competitive issues, to develop banking systems for the future and to provide innovation and developments in payments. It is also the banking industry voice on payments issues such as plastic cards, payment fraud, cheques, electronic payments and cash and is the banking organisation coordinating chip and PIN roll-out.