Advice for when you’re on holiday

When you go on holiday you want to relax and leave your worries and cares at home. Careful planning is the key to a stress-free holiday, but this doesn’t mean that everything must be set in stone. It’s a good idea to have a budget and to prepare for a few unexpected costs and anything else that might come up.

Travel insurance

All Arion Bank credit cards have card insurance. These not only cover you, the cardholder, but also your spouse and dependent children up to the age of 22. Trips abroad and trips within Iceland are insured, although different rules apply to each.

Trips abroad are insured, provided you have a valid credit card at the beginning of the trip. You don’t have to pay for the trip with a credit card to get insurance coverage.

For trips within Iceland, Arion Bank credit card insurance only applies if at least half of the pre-trip costs have been paid with the credit card. In addition, claims for damage to private vehicles are not covered by travel insurance while travelling domestically.

Lost cards

If a debit or credit card is lost while travelling, freeze it immediately using the Arion app or online banking services. It’s also easy to reactivate the card if you find it again. If you freeze the card in this way, it only stops the plastic card from being used, but you can continue to pay with your phone. If the card is irretrievably lost, you can report it as stolen or lost to Arion Bank’s call centre.

Exchange rate

You can see the exchange rates of major currencies at arionbanki.is. When travelling you should refer to the selling rate. Sometimes you can choose whether to pay in Icelandic krónur when shopping abroad. Make sure you compare the rates before you select a currency, as it’s often cheaper to shop in a foreign currency.

Card fraud

Make sure no one sees you enter your PIN when you confirm a payment and ensure that no one can see your passcode when you pay by phone. Always keep your phone locked and never confirm a transaction with your PIN or pay by phone unless you’re sure that the stated amount is correct.