# International travel: passport; credit cards; travel advisories; STEP; general advice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [August 21, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368 "2025-08-21T16:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/21 "2025-08-21T19:23:48Z")
Just for reference, Google Fi would be [$55/mo/person](https://fi.google.com/about/plans) and includes 50 gigs of data and free texting in the [supported 200+ countries (most in the world)](https://fi.google.com/about/international-rates#traveling), no SIM swap needed. They also have a promotion now where you get a free Pixel 10 phone if you’re a new customer, which should work all around the world. Or you can get a [travel esim](https://saily.com/esim-philippines/) for $4 that includes a gig a week, much cheaper than Verizon or other US carrier plans. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > My phone never seems to connect with the system yet everyone else seems to have no problem. Do you have an older phone? Some budget phones or simply older phones don’t have the right radios or antennas to work in different countries. 4g and 5g radio standards different between countries and most “premium” phones include multiple supported frequencies for that reason. Any recent flagship (iPhone/Pixel/Samsung) probably won’t have that problem, but older or more affordable ones may not. If in doubt, you can always look up the frequencies in the country you’re going to and compare them to what your phone model supports, e.g. using [https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker](https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/22 "2025-08-21T19:27:50Z")
Samsung Galaxy A32. I thought 5g was standardized worldwide although now that you brought it up, I have no clue why I assumed that. Considering I an upgrading later this year, I hope you’re right that that’s the problem. If so, is it possible that it works intermittently or yes - wifi; no - phone? That’s what I had in Italy. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/23 "2025-08-21T19:31:02Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Global Entry is worth it, IMHO, not only for international travel (it REALLY speeds up going through customs on your return)… I agree. I came back from Iceland on a family trip and my sister had this. She breezed through customs in minutes. I stood in line for two hours. I have TSA PreCheck but that did nothing for this (never expected it to…still sucked). ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/24 "2025-08-21T19:37:16Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I thought 5g was standardized worldwide I’m a bit out of touch with the latest telecom stuff, so I’m not totally sure about this, but I _believe_ that 5g is more of an umbrella marketing term than an actual standard, and that the different frequencies and radio compatibility problem still applies today. But somebody can let me know if I’m wrong on that… For example, see the Italian coverage for your phone: [https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/IT/samsung-galaxy-a32-5g](https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/IT/samsung-galaxy-a32-5g) [![](https://fightingignorance.org/3ad45a5a-5c36-4605-8104-cda8262d0161-will-samsung-galaxy-a32-5g-work-in-italy-august-21-12-36-05-pm-2x.jpg) ](https://fightingignorance.org/3ad45a5a-5c36-4605-8104-cda8262d0161-will-samsung-galaxy-a32-5g-work-in-italy-august-21-12-36-05-pm-2x.jpg) Compared to something like the recent iPhones: [https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/IT/apple-iphone-16-pro](https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/IT/apple-iphone-16-pro) [![](https://fightingignorance.org/62c09150-bbcb-4014-9172-98c2137cac01-will-apple-iphone-16-pro-work-in-italy-august-21-12-36-34-pm-2x.jpg) ](https://fightingignorance.org/62c09150-bbcb-4014-9172-98c2137cac01-will-apple-iphone-16-pro-work-in-italy-august-21-12-36-34-pm-2x.jpg) Both where you’re _going_ (what frequencies are in use there, by law) and _where you bought your phone_ (which radios it contains) determine whether you will be able to successfully use it there. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > If so, is it possible that it works intermittently or yes - wifi; no - phone? That’s what I had in Italy. I’m not sure what you mean here… are you asking if wifi has more global support than cell radios do? If so, yes… wifi is generally more compatible and doesn’t have the same broad range of frequencies that 4g & 5g cell have. There are still some differences between wifi channels in different countries, but you will probably never notice them as a user. Probably 99% of the time your wifi will work fine anywhere in the world. Or did you mean something else? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/25 "2025-08-21T19:44:31Z")
Your phone will connect to the best signal it can get. That can differ from place to place. What service you can expect depends on your cell phone company. I use Verizon. They have made it easy. $10/day all the data I want and phone calls. That is in addition to the regular bill (so, if you are in Italy for seven days it will be $70+ your usual monthly bill). But waaaay better than the old days where you would get a bill for many hundreds of dollars while traveling. I think AT&T does this too. Check with your cell phone company to see what they offer. You can also buy SIM cards locally to use for a week or however long you are there for. Very modern phones have e-SIMS so no need for the physical chip. Many companies provide these too. They may be cheaper than what your carrier offers but they are more fuss to deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/26 "2025-08-21T19:51:38Z")
I live in Europe and have traveled pretty extensively, including Western Asia and North Africa. Not the Philippines, though, so take whatever value you find in this. > [@Bullitt](#): > > What about credit cards for international use? I remember getting hit with FTXs, foreign transaction fees. Two things on this. First, do some homework on the ATM networks and transaction rules in the area where you’re going to be. In my neck of the woods, there are two kinds of ATMs — legitimate machines associated with banks, and standalone machines that are deliberately designed to confuse tourists and rip them off. The most notorious network in my part of the world is the happy-looking blue-and-yellow Euronet service. [![](https://www.expats.cz/images/publishing/articles/2024/03/1280_650/istock-by-salarko-mejim.webp) ](https://www.expats.cz/images/publishing/articles/2024/03/1280_650/istock-by-salarko-mejim.webp) Seems like just another ATM, right? Nope. The menus are consciously organized to fool you into making choices that unnecessarily add commissions and transfer charges and all sorts of other nonsense. I don’t know if there is a similar kind of service in the Philippines that operates as a financial trap for tourists, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Do a little homework and see what you find. Second, when I travel outside the Eurozone, I frequently see a currency conversion choice on the little screen when I run my card at a restaurant or retailer. “Do you want to charge this in Euros (€xxx) or in Albanian lek (Lxxx)?” or whatever. _Always take the local currency option instead of your own._ It seems counterintuitive, because your own currency is familiar, right? Wrong. This is called **[dynamic currency conversion](https://www.investopedia.com/dynamic-currency-conversion-dcc-term-4769305),** and in this model you are almost always getting a worse exchange rate, sometimes _much_ worse — even if your own institution (or your card provider) charges conversion fees (which it will likely charge anyway). Take the local currency option and get the benefit of the almost certainly better bank-to-bank exchange rate. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/27 "2025-08-21T19:56:53Z")
NOTE: Credit cards will charge a fee when you use them in foreign countries as well as kinda ripping you off on exchange fees. Some credit cards do not (they cater to travelers). Check the details of your credit card to see how they will handle foreign transactions. Also, you may want to tell your credit card company you will be traveling so they do not deny a transaction thinking why is this charge in Croatia happening when you live in Oklahoma City? (again…each credit agency is different…some are better than others about this…best to have it sorted before the trip). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/28 "2025-08-21T19:59:46Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Or did you mean something else? I meant my wifi would occassionally get onto the network but the phone never did for calls. Looking a that site, I think that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/29 "2025-08-21T20:07:07Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I meant my wifi would occassionally get onto the network but the phone never did for calls. Looking a that site, I think that makes sense. Gotcha. Yeah, calls would normally go through the cellular network instead of wifi, unless you have Wifi Calling turned on (which may be a default on some carriers or phones). Wifi calling would route your call through the wifi, if available, even if you don’t have cell reception there. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/30 "2025-08-21T20:12:18Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Wifi Calling Cricket makes this very difficult if all you have is wifi. Best to set this up when you have cell coverage. As I found out too late. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I turned on WiFi (which I had bought on the ship) and all calls and text messages and emails went over WiFi. We had just disembarked in Lisbon and since we had network and wifi in the bus I, as a test, set up my phone and hers to do wifi calling. Disconnected from the cell network and called. No problems. Notice I said disembarked and not embarked? If only we had this prepped for on the ship. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/31 "2025-08-21T20:12:37Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Yeah, calls would normally go through the cellular network instead of wifi, unless you have Wifi Calling turned on (which may be a default on some carriers or phones). Wifi calling would route your call through the wifi, if available, even if you don’t have cell reception there. I was on a cruise and made 100% sure my cell service was not connected (just put the phone into airplane mode so the cell radio was off). I turned on WiFi (which I had bought on the ship) and all calls and text messages and emails went over WiFi. Waaaaay cheaper (albeit not cheap since they charged for WiFi too…still waaaaaay cheaper than cell service on the ship). ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/32 "2025-08-21T20:15:45Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Lounge access seems like a luxury until you run into cancellations, delays, and chaos at the airport, then it is a blessing. Keep in mind that having free lounge access doesn’t guarentee that there’s open space in the lounge when you need it. I’ve passed by many lounges with the All Full signs up because they have limited space. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/33 "2025-08-21T20:16:27Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > waaaaaay cheaper than cell service on the ship Might not be too long until cell phones use satellite (Starlink) instead. T-Mobile is already using it: [T-Satellite with Starlink: Direct to Cell Satellite Phone Service](https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/satellite-phone-service) Even [newer smartwatches can talk to satellites](https://blog.google/products/pixel/pixel-watch-4/#satellite-communications) now… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/34 "2025-08-21T20:19:03Z")
Agree. Airport “VIP” lounges are rapidly suffering from the classic problem that once everybody is special, nobody is special. Waaay too many credit cards, hotel or airline status, etc., each offering “free club access” adds up to everybody and their brother can get into a lounge. And does. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/35 "2025-08-21T20:22:01Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Lounge access seems like a luxury until you run into cancellations, delays, and chaos at the airport, then it is a blessing. My understanding is that airport lounges aren’t as good as they used to be or as good as people think. Many are overcrowded or have crappy food or are filled with annoying people talking loudly on their cell phones. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/36 "2025-08-21T20:59:51Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Take multiple credit and debit cards along and U.S. dollars and don’t keep them all in the same place (money belt?). There is a risk: Credit card company: “Bullitt has charged something in the Philippines, but he has never left the U.S. before!. Obviously a stolen credit card. Shut it down immediately.” It is worth calling your credit card company and warn them you are traveling to the Philippines. I always did this before going to Barbados every year and it worked. I also asked them to allow an increased maximum withdrawal line from the ATMs. Maybe I am misremembering, but I have the impression that if you have not had a passport for a certain amount of time (5 years?) you cannot just renew it, but have to start over. I got my first US passport in 1964 (valid for only five years), renewed in 1970 and have never not had a passport since. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/37 "2025-08-21T21:12:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > My understanding is that airport lounges aren’t as good as they used to be or as good as people think. Many are overcrowded or have crappy food or are filled with annoying people talking loudly on their cell phones. You’d be wrong. Lounges went through an aging process from the 90’s into the 2010’s, but in the past few years the major airlines have drastically updated their lounges and the food offered and American Express has opened their own lounges in competition. Where did you have a recent experience with bad food or loud cell phone conversations in a lounge? [![](https://www.sanspotter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/united_club_lax_review_07.jpg) ](https://www.sanspotter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/united_club_lax_review_07.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/38 "2025-08-21T21:17:08Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > It is worth calling your credit card company and warn them you are traveling to the Philippines. Generally, if there isn’t a foreign travel notification setting in the app, then they don’t want to be notified. American Express has never needed notification. After I got my first AmEx card, the first time I called them (many, many years ago) to notify them I would be traveling outside the country, the women I talked to said “You don’t need to notify us, we _expect_ American Express holders to travel” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/39 "2025-08-21T21:31:44Z")
[Gift link](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/opinion/airport-lounge-travel-credit-card.html?unlocked_article_code=1.f08.q7-n.-CfB6zbvB41L&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare) to a recent NYT opinion piece suggesting the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368/40 "2025-08-21T21:42:44Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > It is worth calling your credit card company and warn them you are traveling to the Philippines. Both of my cards don’t even have a mechanism to do that anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-travel-passport-credit-cards-travel-advisories-step-general-advice/1022368.md?page=3)