Brits’ attitude to holiday money is pants!

British tourists are resorting to desperate measures to outwit pick-pockets with 4% admitting carrying money in their underwear, and - despite having gone out of fashion in the late ‘80s - one in ten Brits admit to using “bum bags” when on holiday to reduce the risk.  

The survey also found the instance of theft to be worryingly common, with 9% of Brits having had their wallet/purse stolen while abroad. Of concern for parents is the statistic that 23.8% percent of travellers aged 18 and under have fallen victim to this crime.  

Lax security offered by hotels is also a common problem with over 7% saying that they had had items stolen from safe or room deposit boxes.

Despite tough economic times, holiday budgeting does not appear to be high on the agenda, with almost 63% of travellers not setting daily limits for spending on holidays abroad.

The survey was commissioned by Tesco Travel Money Card to learn more about the habits of British travellers abroad. The new product addresses common problems for travellers offering a free second ‘emergency’ card that can be activated for instant access to funds, if the original card is stolen.

The chip and pin card is loaded with money before travel and it is not linked to any personal bank account; reducing the risk or fraud and holiday overspending.

It is loaded with foreign currency in the UK and can be used abroad at more than 24 million locations – anywhere there is a MasterCard acceptance logo.

Unlike other similar products from other companies, Tesco does not charge fees for card issue, loading, commission, foreign purchase or even a monthly administration fee.

Sourced by www.moneysupermarket.com   17/6/08.

Please note other fees may apply

“We want to offer our customers a smart, safe way to access funds abroad,” says Yvonne Byrne from Tesco Personal Finance. “We’re confident that the card is the best value product on the market, and given the rising cost of overseas travel, every little helps.”

For further information, please contact:

Ra Fletcher
Haggie Hepburn
Tel: 020 7334 7777  /  0751 8898 087

Notes to editors

·         Tesco does not charge fees for card issue, loading, commission, foreign purchase or even a monthly administration fee

·         Customers receive a free second card for use in emergency, if the first card is stolen (second card is not activated until stolen card is deactivated)

·         Customers can top up the Travel Money Card both in the UK and abroad, by phone, SMS or online

·         OnePoll carried out an online poll of 2,000 British travellers between Wednesday 25th and Monday 30th June, 2008

·         High resolution images are available for the media to view and download free of charge from Visual Media

Tesco Personal Finance

Tesco Personal Finance Limited is a joint venture between The Royal Bank of Scotland plc and Tesco PLC. Tesco Personal Finance Limited. Registered in Scotland No. 173199. Registered Office: 24 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 1AF.

Tesco Compare

Tesco Personal Finance Compare Limited is a part of the Tesco Personal Finance Group, a joint venture between The Royal Bank of Scotland plc and Tesco PLC. Tesco Personal Finance Compare Limited. Registered in Scotland No.SC318925. Registered Office: 24 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 1AF.

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.