Brits try 'pants' measures to hide holiday money

Stuffing money in your pants - a trick that has long been popular with revellers during nights out on the town - is also being used by travellers according to a new survey by the recently launched Tesco Travel Money Card.

British tourists are resorting to desperate measures to outwit pick-pockets with 4% admitting carrying money in their underwear, and - despite having gone out of fashion in the late '80s - one in ten Brits admit to using "bum bags" when on holiday to reduce the risk.

The survey also found the instance of theft to be worryingly common, with 9% of Brits having had their wallet/purse stolen while abroad. Of concern for parents is the statistic that 23.8% percent of travellers aged 18 and under have fallen victim to this crime.

Lax security offered by hotels is also a common problem with over 7% saying that they had had items stolen from safe or room deposit boxes.

Despite tough economic times, holiday budgeting does not appear to be high on the agenda, with almost 63% of travellers not setting daily limits for spending on holidays abroad.

The survey was commissioned by Tesco Travel Money Card to learn more about the habits of British travellers abroad. The new product addresses common problems for travellers offering a free second ‘emergency' card that can be activated for instant access to funds, if the original card is stolen.

The chip and pin card is loaded with money before travel and it is not linked to any personal bank account; reducing the risk or fraud and holiday overspending.

It is loaded with foreign currency in the UK and can be used abroad at more than 24 million locations - anywhere there is a MasterCard acceptance logo.

Unlike other similar products from other companies, Tesco does not charge fees for card issue, loading, commission, foreign purchase or even a monthly administration fee.

28 July 2008 © Moneyextra.com

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