Travelers staying in hotels might want to carefully check their credit card statements for fraudulent charges in the months following the stay. According to recent reports, cybercriminals across the globe have a new favorite target: the wireless networks of hotels.

While financial services companies used to receive the bulk of hacker attacks, last year hotels emerged as the new choice target among hackers-out of 218 breaches in a total of 24 countries, 70 of those breaches took place through hotel networks, according to a report by security firm Trustwave SpiderLabs.

Internet security experts believe that hotel hacking attacks started to catch on at the end of 2008, when a sophisticated cybercrime organization broke into a hotel network to steal information and discovered just how easy it was to do. Even larger hotel chains are often poorly protected against cybercrime dangers, making it very easy for hackers to gain access to one computer and then use it as a doorway into the hotel’s central computer system, from where they can lift the credit card data of guests staying at the hotel along with other sensitive information.

Once hackers have retrieved the data they need, the cybercriminals waste no time turning the lifted credit card information into profit. Using high-tech equipment, hackers can easily clone credit cards, complete with a magnetic strip containing the stolen data. The cards are indistinguishable from the real thing and can be used in physical stores leaving behind few traces that can be used to track down the fraudsters.

It often takes hotels months before they notice the hack-last year, the average time between a security breach and discovery was over five months. In many cases, it is credit card companies, as opposed to the hotel chain, who first notice the unauthorized activity. Long after hackers make off with their bounty, credit card companies triangulating fraud reports discover that multiple individuals affected by fraud stayed at a specific hotel just prior to the credit card theft.

As awareness of hotel data breaches rises, many of the larger chains are stepping in to step up security. However, consumers should remain on alert: hacker’s aren’t about to give up this new lucrative target. Just this week, Wyndman Hotels, which operates chains including Days Inn, Ramada, and Howard Johnson reported its third breach in the past 12 months.

If you travel often or frequent hotels, make sure to monitor your credit card accounts. If strange activity shows up, contact your card issuer immediately. While credit card companies, ultimately, are on the hook for fraudulent charges, you do have to report unauthorized activity, and catching credit card fraud early can save much time and hassle down the road.

Most Americans travelling overseas have gotten accustomed to using credit cards as their payment form of choice. Credit cards afford greater convenience and, generally speaking, are a lot safer to carry around than cash.

Unfortunately, for your next trip overseas, be sure to stuff your suitcase with a cash as well. Many Americans visiting Europe and other overseas countries are finding that their credit cards are no longer as universally accepted as they have been.

Why? European credit cards now commonly use an embedded microprocessor chip, which stores credit card information and processes transaction data. Credit cards issued in the U.S., in contrast, still use magnetic-stripe technology for card transactions. And herein lies the problem: not all overseas merchants and vendors are able to process magnetic stripe cards; many Americans trying to swipe cards without a chip have found their cards rejected.

The new type of credit cards is popularly referred to as chip-and-PIN cards, because instead of signing for purchases, the user punches in a personal identification number. The chip-and-PIN technology is an extra security measure introduced to protect cardholders from credit card fraud. The embedded microchip stores vital information on the credit card itself, rather than in a central database, thwarting the efforts of hackers and other counterfeiters to make away with credit card information or other sensitive personal data. (Please note that chip-and-PIN cards are different from the so-called RFID cards, which are cards with an embedded radio frequency chip currently used on some American credit cards, such as Visa’s payWave or Amex’ Expresspay cards, which don’t offer additional security features.)

The new chip-and-PIN cards are credited with cutting credit card fraud in the U.K. by nearly a quarter during the first half of 2009, according to the U.K. newspaper The Daily Record. Credit and debit card fraud fell to £232.8 million ($380 million), a 23 percent drop compared to the same six-month period in 2008. Other security measures may have helped as well, particularly new systems introduced to make it harder to use stolen cards over the internet. In contrast, the cost of fraud on foreign-issued cards used in the U.K. jumped to £81.1 million ($132 million), a 36 percent increase.

If you’re travelling overseas, however, don’t leave your credit cards at home just yet. Most stores or restaurants overseas still have credit card terminals for reading cards with magnetic stripes, and most ATM’s are equipped to accept both types of cards. Where American cardholders usually run into issues are in places where there are no cashier, such as gas pumps, automated ticket kiosks at train stations, toll booths, or parking garages. For purchases like this, you might find yourself wishing that you had brought a wad of cash.

More and more countries are expected to adopt chip-and-PIN cards. The cards have already been introduced in twenty-two countries, including Canada, much of Europe, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan; another 50 other countries, including India, China, and most Latin American countries, are expected to transition to the new technology over the next two years.

Don’t expect to see chip-and-PIN technology in the U.S. anytime soon, however. According to Javelin Strategy and Research, a consulting company for the financial services industry, the cost to adopt the new technology in the U.S. would be an estimated $5.5 billion, mainly to cover the costs of the new payment terminals. In the current economic climate, neither retailers nor banks are rushing to shoulder that expense.

So, if you’re heading overseas, what should you do? Well, for train tickets or subway cards, consider buying them online ahead of time. Or, simply do what travelers have done for hundreds of years: make sure to bring enough travelers’ checks and cash.

If you stay in hotels frequently, a hotel credit card affiliated with a specific hotel chain, an affinity hotel card, can be an attractive option. Many cards come with attractive sign-up bonuses, and some give you an annual bonus award of 50% off a hotel stay.

The “currency” into which your points convert, however, may be more limited than with other types of travel-related reward cards. On the other hand, if you do prefer a specific hotel chain, an affinity hotel card can save you money by earning discounts or even free stays.

• How many points do you earn per dollar spent? Typically you will earn one point for each dollar you spend, but some cards give you extra points for dollars spent on certain types of purchases, for example, in supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores.
• How many points are needed to get a free flight? Some cards may require you to accumulate 50,000 points, while others will award you a free flight with as little as 15,000 points. Make sure you know this before you decide on a card. You may have to call the card issuer to get the information if it is not listed in the advertising material.
• Do the points expire if you don’t use the card within a certain time period? Many cards require you to have some type of account activity-either purchasing a ticket or redeeming miles-at certain intervals, such as every three years, in order to prevent your points from expiring.

In addition, you will want to consider many of the points listed in the section on Frequent Flyer Credit Cards, such as the annual fee on the card, whether there is a limit to how many points you can earn in a year, and so on.

Determining which card is right for you may take a little research. However, since the right card can offer considerable benefits, it is worth your while to spend the time. For more specifics about the cards that are available and their benefits, go to Air Miles and Travel Rewards Cards.

Airline Mile Cards award you points instead of miles. The points can be redeemed for free flights and various other, mostly travel-related, benefits. Because the points can be redeemed with more than one carrier, you are not as restricted when booking your free flight as you are when using frequent flyer miles. Some Airline Mile Cards also allow you to convert the points you earn to miles and then transfer those miles to many airline frequent flyer programs. The American Express® Preferred Rewards Gold card is an examples of this kind of card.

Typically, you can redeem points for other benefits as well, such as travel packages, free stays at hotels or free car rentals. Some cards also offer cash back rewards, either in the form of a credit that you can use with their shopping, dining or entertainment partners or, in some cases, in the form of a straight cash back credit to your account.

• How close does the sign-up bonus get you to a free ticket? While a few cards offer enough bonus miles for a free ticket, most cards offer smaller mileage bonuses, enough to get you one quarter or half way to an award flight.
• Can the frequent flyer miles be used on the routes where you fly the most? While it may make sense to go with the card with the highest introductory offer, you also need to consider whether you can use the miles. This is particularly the case for cards associated with smaller, more regional airlines. If you live in a place not served by the airline, the free miles may not help you get where you want to go.
• Can the miles you earn be used with partner airlines? Many frequent flyer cards let you use the miles you earn with partner airlines (often the major carriers). This, of course, gives you a much wider range of choice in how you use your miles when you book your ticket. Do note, however, that bonus miles tend to be redeemable only with the carrier associated with the frequent flyer card, so again, you need to make sure that the carrier covers the routes you plan to travel most frequently.
• How many miles do you earn on your purchases? While most cards will award you one mile for each dollar you spend, a few cards offer more miles per dollar and some cards offer a smaller reward, such as one mile for every two dollars you spend. The latter also typically come with a smaller or no annual fee, so if you won’t be using your card that much, you might be better off opting for the card without an annual fee. A few cards, such as the WorldPerks® Visa® Signature Card, allow you to earn double miles. In this case, for purchases direct from Northwest Airlines®.
• Is there a limit to the number of miles you can earn in a given year? If there is a limit, these are typically so high (e.g., 100,000 miles) that they don’t apply to most people. However, if you will be charging enough each year to exceed the card limit, you may consider a different card or simply get more than one card.
• Do the miles expire? Many cards require you to have some type of account activity-either purchasing a ticket or redeeming miles-at certain intervals, such as every three years, in order to prevent your miles from expiring. Be sure you know the terms and conditions, so you don’t get any surprises.

If you don’t plan to make a lot of purchases, it makes most sense to choose one Frequent Flyer Credit Card and stick with that. Alternatively, you could select one of the many Airline Mile Credit Cards, which allow you to transfer miles into a frequent flyer account of your choosing. As with any rewards credit card, keep in mind that your earnings can be offset by the interest charges if you carry a substantial balance.

An example of this type of card is the Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card, issued by American Express, which allows you to earn miles through Delta Airlines’ Skymiles program. Other airlines with this type of card include Northwest Airlines. See our Air Miles and Travel Rewards Cards page for more specifics about the benefits of each card. For a list of Frequent Flyer Credit Cards by category, click here.

Most Frequent Flyer Credit Cards come with attractive introductory offers. For some cards, the introductory bonus miles or points are enough to qualify for a free ticket—so you essentially get a free trip just for signing up. (Special rules usually apply, so always check the terms of each card.)

While a free trip might seem like enough reason to sign up, there are other important factors to consider when choosing a card. Read on for tips on how to find the card best suited for you.

1) Airline Mile Credit Cards are not limited to one airline but can be used to obtain free tickets on over 250 major airlines. These cards also allow you to redeem your earnings towards free hotel stays, car rentals, cash back bonuses, and more. Click here for more details.

2) Frequent Flyer Credit Cards enable you to earn frequent flyer miles on your favorite airline or their partners. Click here for more details.

3) Travel Reward Credit Cards let you earn free hotel stays and may offer other travel-related benefits, and they may also offer airline miles and frequent flyer miles options.

Some cards require as little as 15,000 points for a free roundtrip ticket, and most let you earn points or miles with your everyday purchases. For information about airline miles and frequent flyer miles credit cards, click here. For more information about hotel and other travel reward credit cards, click here. For a list of travel reward credit cards by category, click here. To compare hotel and travel reward credit cards, click here. Or click below to find out more about the benefits of Frequent Flyer cards.

Few things are more upsetting than your car breaking down in the middle of a road trip when you’re a long, long way from home. Even if you have a newer car that is less likely to have a breakdown, lots of things can go wrong—flat tire, dead battery, locking your keys inside the car, getting stuck in the mud, etc.

No surprise that many people shell out $60-95 for an AAA (American Automobile Association) membership year after year, just to know that, should something go wrong, they have somewhere to turn for help. Still, that’s a lot of money to spend on a ‘just in case’ service, which few people end up actually using.

So, what if you could get roadside assistance almost for free? Or at the very least, only pay for it—at a reasonable, pre-negotiated rate—should you need it? Calling your credit card company may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you need emergency road assistance, but all credit card companies, like American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover, offer some type of road assistance service. The services and cost vary quite a bit, however, so here’s an overview of the programs offered and how they compare.

American Express Global Assist Plus

Through its Global Assist Hotline (1-800-333-AMEX), American Express offers emergency road service for all holders of Amex charge cards, like the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold cards and American Express Platinum cards. The Amex Rewards Green card also offers coverage, but only for incidents that occur more than 50 miles from home.

Amex will help you locate a local provider, and its roadside assistance program covers the first $50 of the cost, whether you need your car towed, jump-started, or a tire changed. Amex will even help out if you run out of gas, and will cover the first $50 of the cost of having up to 2 gallons of fuel delivered.

You can get the $50 coverage on roadside assistance up to four times a year; however there must be a 7 day period between each similar incident. You pay any costs above the $50, and those costs, of course, vary by region and by type of emergency. The service is card specific, so the cardholder needs to be present with the vehicle, but it doesn’t have to be your vehicle. In other words, if your teenager locks his key in his car, you’re still covered as long as you’re present, even though the car is in his name. Towing of rental cars, however, is not included.

The coverage is available in the 48 contiguous U.S. states and in Canada. Roadside assistance is not available for holders of cards that don’t have an annual fee, such as the TrueEarnings Card from Costco and American Express and the Amex Blue cards.

Visa Credit Cards’ Roadside Dispatch Service

Visa offers its Roadside Dispatch Service to all Visa card holders (1-800-VISA-TOW). The service is different from Amex, in that you don’t get a $50 credit towards the service fee, but rather pay a pre-negotiated fee of currently $59.95 per service call.

If you get stuck, simply call the roadside dispatch service, and Visa will arrange for the nearest provider to come out to help. The service fee includes up to five miles of towing (you pay extra for more miles), tire changing, jump-starting, up to five gallons of fuel delivery (you pay for the fuel), and some winching services if you get stuck (within 100 feet of a paved road).

Rental cars are included, as is your own car or truck. This is a pay-as-you-go service, so the main benefit is having a pre-negotiated rate, which costs you the same as you’d pay for a full year of the basic AAA membership plan. Also, you won’t have to hassle with finding a trustworthy local provider.

MasterCard Roadside Assistance Program

MasterCard’s Roadside Assistance program is essentially a referral to the services of Cross Country Automotive Services of Medford, Massachusetts. The service covers the same items as the Amex and Visa services, including emergency towing, jump-starting, emergency fuel delivery, flat tire change, lockout assistance, and roadside winching.

You pay a pre-specified flat rate for the service, which ranges from $70 to $95, depending on which type of service you require. If you need the service, simply call the general MasterCard number (800-622-7747) and they will connect you to the service.

Discover Card Emergency Assistance

Most Discover Cards do not offer roadside assistance with the exception of the Discover Miles cards (1-800-Discover). The service offers the same benefits as the other roadside assistance programs, at a flat fee of $69.95

Which Credit Card Company Offers the Best Roadside Assistance?

If you already have an Amex Rewards Green, an American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card or American Express Platinum card, the $50 service coverage offered by American Express is a great credit card deal. But don’t run out and get one of these cards just to get this benefit. These are all premium American Express cards with annual fees ranging from $95 for the Green card, to $125 for the Amex Gold and $450 for the Platinum.

If you don’t already have an Amex card that qualifies for roadside assistance, you’re better off going with the $59.95 service offered by Visa. Should something go wrong, you’ll know where to get help. And if nothing goes wrong, you’ve saved the $60-95 that you’d otherwise be out for an AAA membership.

9 Credit Card Deals You Never Knew You Had

• Credit Card Deal #1: Purchase Protection
• Credit Card Deal #2: Return Protection and Price Protection
• Credit Card Deal #3: Extended Warranty
• Credit Card Deal #4: Your Personal Office Assistant
• Credit Card Deal #5: Global Traveler’s Assistance
• Credit Card Deal #6: Travel Delay and Lost Luggage Protection
• Credit Card Deal #7: Car Rental Insurance
• Credit Card Deal #8: Worldwide Concierge Services
• Credit Card Deal #9: Free Roadside Assistance

If you’re like most people, you’re probably confused about what is covered by your auto insurance policy when you rent a car. According to a survey by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), four out of ten car renters have only a vague idea to what degree their auto insurance covers rental cars. About one third end up buying the rental car company’s insurance just to make sure they’re covered.

This can quickly become an expensive affair. Auto rental companies sell not just one, but multiple types of coverage: collision damage waivers, loss damage waivers, supplemental liability insurance, personal accident insurance and personal effects protection. By the time you’re done, the insurance costs can end up almost doubling your rental cost.

The good news is that you may not need that extra insurance. Supplemental auto insurance is one of the great credit card deals available to most cardholders. All you have to do to get the benefit is simply charge the rental fee to your credit card.

Most credit cards include collision and theft protection over and above what is provided by your personal auto insurance. This means that your credit card company may reimburse you for the deductible on your personal automobile insurance, plus any reasonable administrative costs and loss-of-use charges imposed by the rental car company. Most credit cards also pick up the tab for towing charges (within reason) associated with repair to the rental car.

If you don’t have personal auto insurance or any other insurance covering this loss, your credit card provider may even reimburse you for the entire cost of physical damage or theft to the car.

Before you decline the rental car insurance, however, check to see what is covered by both your personal auto insurance and your credit cards. Some personal auto policies may not cover rentals on business trips or rentals in foreign countries and they may limit coverage for long-term rentals.

Similarly, there are limitations on what is covered by credit cards. Firstly, the coverage varies between card issuers, so check up on the terms offered by your credit card before using it. While Visa credit cards offer rental insurance to all cardholders and American Express supplies it to most of its cardholders, MasterCard and Discover only provide it to their premium cardholders.

Most credit card companies won’t cover a car that is rented for more than 30 days, in some cases as little as 15 days. Coverage is typically capped at $50,000 (or $25,000 for Discover Cards) and some credit cards, like Discover cards, only offer coverage in the U.S. and Canada, while other card issuers limit coverage to certain countries. In addition, while most passenger cars, minivans, and sport utility vehicles are covered, some types of cars like expensive trucks or antique vehicles are not.

To be eligible for the service, you have to charge the entire rental fee to a U.S. issued credit card and you have to be the primary renter of the car. Losses must be reported within 45 days of the incident or you lose your coverage.

9 Credit Card Deals You Never Knew You Had

• Credit Card Deal #1: Purchase Protection
• Credit Card Deal #2: Return Protection and Price Protection
• Credit Card Deal #3: Extended Warranty
• Credit Card Deal #4: Your Personal Office Assistant
• Credit Card Deal #5: Global Traveler’s Assistance
• Credit Card Deal #6: Travel Delay and Lost Luggage Protection
• Credit Card Deal #7: Car Rental Insurance
• Credit Card Deal #8: Worldwide Concierge Services
• Credit Card Deal #9: Free Roadside Assistance