Be sure and check your bank balance daily upon return!!

[jamaicajeanne]

Jenn, I am not sure your credit union is correct. Banks that issue debit cards have to follow Visa/Matercard rules which cover the consumer for any fraudulent transaction. I would ask your credit union to provide you with their debit card disclosures.

The debit cards at the bank I work for are VISA cards and VISA has $0 liability for the consumer.

[madcam94]

After reading all of these posts I am going to contact my bank and discuss with them the best possible way to combat issues before they arise. My initial thought is to open a separate checking account that has a separate debit card. Tie it to my other account in that I can transfer between the two and do not add overdraft protection from any account on the Jamaica debit card. Transfer funds, go get the funds from the ATM and leave 0.00 in the Jamaica account until the next time I need cash. Then use a separate card in the instance we want to charge something (not a PIN transaction). Credit card transactions have fraud protection so less liability that way.

[jamaicajeanne]

madcam94, when you contact your bank, ask to talk to the person or department who specializes in debit card fraud issues. A banker or teller may not be able to effectively answer all of your questions.

[Lola]

My initial thought is to open a separate checking account that has a separate debit card. Tie it to my other account in that I can transfer between the two and do not add overdraft protection from any account on the Jamaica debit card. Transfer funds, go get the funds from the ATM and leave 0.00 in the Jamaica account until the next time I need cash.

That is what I have done, the bank said "good idea". Very easy to do online (Schwab).

[Yesihunt2]

After reading all of these posts I am going to contact my bank and discuss with them the best possible way to combat issues before they arise. My initial thought is to open a separate checking account that has a separate debit card. Tie it to my other account in that I can transfer between the two and do not add overdraft protection from any account on the Jamaica debit card. Transfer funds, go get the funds from the ATM and leave 0.00 in the Jamaica account until the next time I need cash. Then use a separate card in the instance we want to charge something (not a PIN transaction). Credit card transactions have fraud protection so less liability that way.

This is an excellent idea for any trip out of town if you're not comfortable with a strange ATM. It's also a good way for internet transactions too.