o But always travel with two cards. Many hotels and car rental companies put a temporary charge or lock on credit cards - in anticipation of your bill. If you card limit is low, you may not be able to use that card for any other purpose.

o Keep several traveler's checks in your wallet. Use them for an emergency, where or when your credit card is not accepted or in lieu of running up your credit card balance.

o Know the conversion fee. If you're traveling abroad, find out each of your card's "conversion fee" for foreign currency transitions; 1% to 4% is typical.

$TIP: Capital One (800-695-5500, www.capitalone.com) does not have such a fee!

o Copy your wallet. Before a trip, photocopy the front and back of each of your credit and debit cards and important pieces of paper. Store the copy in a secure place. Should you lose your wallet (or a card) you will have key information on hand, including toll free numbers, account numbers and address. And, leave one copy with someone at home or in your office.