by
Dorota Szostek-Rustecka
Prezes Fundacji Citi Handlowy im. L. Kronenberga
According to a survey by Diners Club Polska, 70% of Poles are planning to go on vacation in 2018. And everybody knows that when you’re on vacation, you indulge more and reach deeper in your pocket. How to spend money wisely and not empty your wallet completely?
Look into a crystal ball...
... and be prepared for all eventualities. A sudden sickness, sprained ankle – this could cost you even up to several thousand euros. That’s why you should take out insurance before going on vacation. Otherwise, you will have to cover these and similar costs out of your own pocket, which could really “hurt”. Travel insurance “World without Borders” is now available with a 15% discount – if you enter the code HOLIDAY. This insurance offers you assistance, including:
- coverage of medical bills,
- baggage insurance,
- flight cancellation and delay insurance,
- access to a 24/7 emergency center in Polish.
- baggage insurance,
- flight cancellation and delay insurance,
- access to a 24/7 emergency center in Polish.
What’s more, should something happen in a completely strange place, you can call for help using geolocation. You just have to share your location, and the insurer will send you necessary assistance. Cool, right?
Plan in advance
If you act according to plan, there’s a good chance you won’t overpay. Check out the summer discounts on the Citi Specials website before the holidays and take advantage of the special offers! You can snap up many travel bargains – such as 15% off at the Emirates, 4% money back on booking.com, a 10% discount on hotels.com or even 50% off on cruises with Stena Line. And once you’ve arranged your trip, set a daily limit you can spend and try to stick to it. If you want it to work, it’s better to avoid dining at restaurants by the main pedestrian zones and streets – you can be sure they will offer “tourist” prices. That is, unless the restaurant is included in our Citi Specials program – in which case you can use a discount and not worry about the bill. And don’t forget about the conversion costs. Unless you use...
Citi Priority
Wherever you are, you are always our client. We are a global bank and you can count on us in at least 100 countries in the world. You should also remember that you can avoid burdening your budget with the conversion costs. Sometimes they surprise you only after you have come back from your vacation. All you need to do is open a free FX account denominated in EUR, USD, GBP and CHF, linked to your PLN account. You can do this on Citibank Online, where you can later relink your card from the PLN account to any account you want. Latecomers may relink their card also on the phone – it’s quick and easy, you just need to log into Citibank Online. What are the benefits?
1. You won’t pay commission for withdrawing money from any ATM.
2. All services will be free of conversion costs.
3. You can link your standard card to the FX account whenever you like.
4. And if you lose cash or your payment cards, you can withdraw funds from your account at any Citi branch.
2. All services will be free of conversion costs.
3. You can link your standard card to the FX account whenever you like.
4. And if you lose cash or your payment cards, you can withdraw funds from your account at any Citi branch.
What’s more, should something happen in a completely strange place, you can call for help using geolocation. You just have to share your location, and the insurer will send you necessary assistance. Cool, right?
Don’t overburden your budget
Vacationing is all well, but coming back is the biggest challenge – you still have to live on something at home. So don’t go too crazy with spending your savings on vacation. Vacation is of course also a time to indulge more and it’s difficult to deny your child a souvenir from the seaside, your wife a dinner at a restaurant by the sea, and your husband another water scooter ride... A credit card comes in handy when making such vacation dreams come true. It helps you manage the liquidity of your household budget, and also ensures:
- favorable card payments abroad,
- summer discounts with Citi Specials,
- PLN 0 conversion costs with an FX sub-account,
- World without Borders travel insurance,
- that your bank is always with you thanks to Citibank Online,
- a practical interest-free credit on cashless transactions up to 56 days, which allows you to smoothly slip into the everyday life.
- summer discounts with Citi Specials,
- PLN 0 conversion costs with an FX sub-account,
- World without Borders travel insurance,
- that your bank is always with you thanks to Citibank Online,
- a practical interest-free credit on cashless transactions up to 56 days, which allows you to smoothly slip into the everyday life.
A card can also be useful when you’re on vacation and use such services as rental or hotels. Then, it is often required to have a credit card to secure a deposit in case of, for example, any traffic tickets that you may have to pay after a drive to a car rental. However, you should always remember to carefully study your account statement after coming back. It could happen that it will include transactions you don’t agree with, such as transactions for a product or service you have not used, suspicious or cancelled transactions. In those cases, chargeback comes to the rescue. All you need to do is call the bank and inform them that a given transaction is unjustified and file a complaint on the phone. Afterwards, you will sign the documents and send back the statement from the bank. The consideration process for such a complaint takes 45 days as per MasterCard procedures.
As you can see, you should get prepared for many possible situations before you go on vacation. And with Citi Handlowy you can. And if you suddenly remember during your vacation that you have forgotten to make a transfer – we can assist you with that, too. Just go to Citibank Online – with this application, your account is always within your reach.
As you can see, you should get prepared for many possible situations before you go on vacation. And with Citi Handlowy you can. And if you suddenly remember during your vacation that you have forgotten to make a transfer – we can assist you with that, too. Just go to Citibank Online – with this application, your account is always within your reach.
