Blog - foXnoMad

US Travelers Check Credit Card Receipts For Full Numbers And Get New Ones When You Return

by Anil Polat | Mar 28, 2008 | Advice, Money | 0

Travelers outside of the US who use charge while shopping should check their receipts for full credit card numbers. If you see that your copy of any printed (or written) receipt has all 16 digits, request a new card from your bank when you return home.

United States law requires that credit card numbers are obscured on receipts helping to prevent someone from taking in the number and using it online. Consider taking a travelers card (many banks offer it) or stick to cash. Credit cards numbers are often used as collateral at hotels so protect yourself by bringing an unactivated card. Keep tabs on your statements online if you can get reliable Internet (never from cafes) and contact the credit card company as soon as you see something fishy.

Most countries around the world don’t prohibit the printing of full numbers on receipts, which may leave you open to fraud even months after you return. Although you can certainly decline the charges, it may be hard to keep track of small purchases long after your trip.

[photo by: The Flooz]

How To Bargain Your Way To A Good Price

by Anil Polat | Mar 27, 2008 | Money | 6

Negotiating a good price while shopping around the world will not only save you money on a variety of goods, but help you to forge relationships and learn about the culture you are immersed in. Tourists from the US and Europe often fall prey to higher prices because they’re used to a fixed cost at home and feel awkward trying to cut a deal.

Bargaining your way to a good price is easy if you’re firm and use the negotiating disadvantages of being a tourist to your benefit – here’s how.

Always Look At More Than One Store, Especially On Day 1 of Shopping – You won’t be able to know what an item is worth or how much the prices have been jacked up if you don’t compare. Most shopkeepers will try to convince you that their souvenirs can only be found there which is most always not the case. Find the store with the lowest price and begin your negotiating there.

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Malls A Better Deal In Bangalore Than Small Shops

by Anil Polat | Mar 26, 2008 | Money, Travel Journal | 0

Get the best deals on common gifts, clothes, and other Indian goods at Indian malls rather than small shops. Both the malls and larger stores offer many of the same goods you’d find in the large shopping areas around Brigade and MG Roads but with lower beginning costs.

Mall prices are generally 20-30% lower and can be brought down 40-60% – depending on your bargaining skills. Many of the smaller shops cater to tourists and higher class shoppers making them reluctant to knock of a few rupees for people who are perceived to have money.

Ironically this seems to be why the malls are a good place to catch a good deal. They aren’t frequented very often by touristy shoppers and are keen on making a sale. Make sure to go at off hours or around closing time and don’t seem to eager to buy. Go to Brigade and MG Roads for good coffee, places to smoke, or great food and save your souvenir buying for the average mall.

[photo by: Arindam Thokder]

Mocha Cafe In Central Bangalore

by Anil Polat | Mar 25, 2008 | Travel Journal | 0

In the thick of a partially residential, semi-business area of crowded Bangalore lies Mocha Cafe. Mocha is a spacious coffee bar that serves food and hookahs with a variety of tobacco flavors. The place is frequented by mostly a younger crowed and has a good fill of people from the mid-afternoon through the evening hours.

The coffee is strong and the hookahs are new, giving a refreshing (but powerful) shot of smoke with each puff. The prices are reasonable, a cup of coffee will run you about $3 and a hookah around $8. The service is good as well – it should be since Mocha has the Indian trait of hiring about 3 times the number of employees that an American or European establishment would. Most of the staff are ethnic residents Manipur, located in the eastern reaches of India. The several waiters I spoke with said they all came to Bangalore for work, as is the case with many ethnic minorities from Manipur.

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Call India For Less: TrueRoots

by Anil Polat | Mar 24, 2008 | Sponsored Reviews | 0

Make international phone calls to India and other parts of southeast Asia from the US for competitive rates through TrueRoots. The service, provided by the Indian Tata Group, works as an Indian prepaid calling card that is filled with credits online and used over any phone. The rates are competitive when compared to other services that require a mobile or land line phone.

Activation of the service is immediate and doesn’t require joining or subscribing to a service (no new user name and password to remember). Credits range in prepaid amount from $5-100 and are valid for 12 months. The current rate for calling India from the US is about 6.9 cents per minute. The service doesn’t work in reverse however and can’t be used to dial from overseas.

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