For most credit cards, you’ll need to give a U.S. address and phone number. If need be, you can use a mail forward service to maintain that U.S. address and stay up-to-date on correspondence. With that said, make sure you opt in to paperless credit card statements and communications, so you’ll receive any important notices right away.
You should set up your credit card’s PIN and know it. Although you rarely (if ever) need to use a PIN for credit card transactions in the U.S., there may be the odd occasion where you may be required to enter a PIN overseas.
It’s important to continue using your credit cards regularly to keep the account open. One way of doing this is to set up auto-pay transactions for your recurring bills.
Lastly, get in the habit of asking merchants to process your transactions in the local currency. Using a foreign credit card will often trigger the option of paying in the local currency or in U.S. dollars. This is known as dynamic currency conversion. If you choose U.S. dollars, the conversion into local currency is made at the point of sale at typically an unfavorable exchange rate.
How To Maximize Rewards When Using a Credit Card Abroad
The standard method for maximizing credit card rewards—using your credit card for as many purchases as possible, then paying off the bill every month to avoid interest fees—works no matter where you are in the world.
If you have friends, family or employees that you trust with your money (and your credit rating), you can add them as authorized users to your credit card. You’ll have to check the fine print on your credit card agreement to be sure, but in most cases an authorized user’s spending counts toward your rewards.