News photo by Kayla Wikaryasz On Monday, Aleigha Muszynski, HPC Credit Union head teller and member service representative, is seen working at her desk at the HPC Ripley Boulevard location in Alpena. HPC advises members to contact the credit union ahead of traveling.

ALPENA — As community members leave Northeast Michigan for spring and summer vacations, local credit unions recommend that members alert their financial institutions of their travel plans ahead of time.

HPC Credit Union Vice President of Marketing Ellie Hoes said that HPC advises members to contact the credit union ahead of traveling to notify where they will be traveling to and for how long.

“We always recommend that people fill out a travel request form,” she said. “This notifies the credit union that people are traveling during this time period.”

She added that HPC recommends traveling with as many payment forms as the individual is comfortable traveling with. However, when traveling with multiple cards, Hoes said that HPC recommends filling out a request form for each.

She said that traveling with cash is also a good idea.

“Doesn’t hurt to carry some cash with you, as well,” Hoes said.

For HPC members, Hoes explained that members can monitor their transactions through a mobile app. She said that members can turn on notifications that will notify them when a transaction has occurred.

In the case that a card is stolen, Hoes recommended utilizing mobile apps offered through a financial institution to turn off cards to prevent further transactions. She also recommends calling the financial institution from where the card was issued to report a theft.

To prevent theft, Hoes’ personal recommendation is to travel with a bag that individuals can carry in front of their body, such as a fanny pack or a cross over bag. She said this is a way for people to prevent pick-pocketing, for example.

“It protects your wallet more,” she said.

LeAnn Schultz, director of marketing at Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union (AAACU), also said that AAACU advises members to notify the institution to prevent flags on accounts for fraud. She explained that there is no hard deadline to when people should notify AAACU, but the sooner the better.

“In the excitement of traveling, you might forget,” she said.

She added that it is important to monitor balances while traveling to ensure that recorded transactions align with a person’s transaction history. AAACU also recommends travelers carry with them a debit and credit card, along with cash.

“If fraud does happen, you could be in a bad situation,” she said.

Leanne added that traveling with both a debit and credit card gives travelers an extra form of payment in the case that a card is flagged for fraud.

“Chances are that won’t happen on both debit and credit,” she said.

Leanne explained that chances of fraud increase when people travel so utilizing a banking mobile app to turn cards on and off between transactions adds another layer of protection.

“If you do suspect fraud, block your card immediately,” she added.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.