Travellers should make purchases from reliable sources, says expert

Travellers have been warned to only make purchases from reliable sources by an industry expert this week.

The UK trade association for payments, APACS, advised all holidaymakers to make sure they know exactly who they are dealing with before handing over their cash in a foreign country.

Mark Bowerman, a spokesperson for APACS, said: "Try and make sure you know who you are dealing with and make sure to the best of your knowledge that it is a reputable company.

"If the transaction is between £100 and £30,000 then it is beneficial to use a credit card because you have that extra protection that you do not have with a debit card."

He added that in the instance of wanting a refund on a product purchased abroad a consumer should first contact the retailer.

If they are out of reach then the consumer should approach their card issuer, explain the situation to them and then from there the credit card company is liable for that amount of expense and should offer a refund.

In October 2007 the House of Lords delivered a landmark ruling that confirmed that under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, UK consumers would continue to be protected when purchasing goods between the value of £100 and £30,000 overseas on their credit cards.

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