Debit Cards: Indispensable - Fees: Find Out

My debit card is an must-have travel tool. Debit cards are easy to use and carry and it's simple to cancel a debit card if it's lost or stolen while you're traveling, meaning your money's safe. I've been in countries where I couldn't cash a traveler's check (I once had to find the AmEx office in Nassau, Bahamas, when I couldn't cash an American Express traveler's check in either of two major downtown banks), and you shouldn't travel with wads of cash, which is irreplaceable if lost or stolen.

Debit cards do sometimes come with fees, though; the fee for using a debit card for transactions on foreign soil can be as much as that of a credit card. Travelpost.com rounded up some excellent resources on debit and credit card fees yesterday; check it out. When you look into opening a checking account and getting a debit card, ask what the overseas debit card transaction fees, including making an ATM withdrawal, may be at each bank you're considering.

• Learn about debit cards, fees and how to use a debit card for travel