Debit Card Tips for Travel and Large Purchases

Traveling this summer? With debit card counterfeit and fraud on the rise, it is important that you notify the bank when you are preparing to travel or planning on making larger purchases. Calling the Bank Card department ahead of time can help prevent unnecessary fraud blocks that may disrupt your transaction usage while you are on the go. Consider these other tips as you prepare for your travels through the rest of the summer.

• Notify the Bank Card department when you will be traveling – It is important that we make travel notes and keep our fraud center aware.  Noting where you will be traveling and the length of time you will be gone are helpful to know and can prevent fraud blocks.

• Providing your most up-to-date cell numbers are a must.  Keep your account updated with good phone numbers.  It is important that we are able to reach you quickly in the event we need to verify potential fraud/counterfeit transactions.

• Texas Bank and Trust sets daily spending limits on your VISA checkcard to minimize potential counterfeit/ fraud losses.  Our standard retail daily limit is $1,000 and $300 at the ATM. We can certainly raise these limits with just a phone call to accommodate larger spending needs.  You can reach the Bank Card department at 903-252-3179 Monday – Friday 8:30 – 5:00 and Saturday 8:30 – Noon.

• While traveling out of state, some merchant transactions will require your PIN number be used during this peak fraud season. This information is currently disclosed on our News & Alerts messaging on our website and was broadcast via statement message, Net Teller Alert or letter last month. 

• Remember your VISA debit card is a vital resource to accessing your account funds.   Keep it safe and never store your PIN with the card.    

Whether you are across the world or just across town, traveling has never been easier with our comprehensive Bank on Demand services. Let up help you travel with peace of mind. Call us today if you have any additional questions on protecting your checkcard this summer.

By: Crystal Hardy 

       Vice President and
      Credit Card Manager

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52 Week Savings Challenge: Week 1

A significant part of my job here at Texas Bank and Trust is maintaining our vast 300-plus page website. And on the homepage of our website you will find our TBT blog, “How We See It.” As the bank’s webmaster, one of my responsibilities is to make sure we have a new fresh blog about every two weeks, and believe me this is not an easy task.

 Our bloggers are trusted advisors of the bank who are experts in their particular division. They are very busy individuals with their own day to day schedules and do not always have time to sit down and blog for me. I completely understand, but this predicament leaves me blogless and wondering “How in the world am I going to get a new blog to post by Friday?” By the end of the week a blogger graciously sends me a blog and it all works out.

In a meeting with my boss one Friday, I brought up the “need for blogs” topic and asked her for suggestions on how to obtain more blogs and possibly build up a reserve so I am not scrambling for a new post every two weeks. She turns to me and asks, “How about you write for the blog?” I’ll admit, I was a little surprised by her request. I mean, I am not in the loan department, mortgage, credit, new accounts or trust. I know the basics of most of these areas, but by no means am I an expert and able to write a blog. I think she noticed the surprised look on my face, as I have a problem with controlling my facial expressions.  I did not want her to think I was not cooperative, so I quickly responded, “Sure, I don’t mind blogging.” But what would I say? Maintaining a website is not really financial blog material.

She then mentioned a project a co-worker and I had wanted to start working on - a financial literacy program for college students. She suggested that I use some of that information for possible blog material. Well, when I was in college all I was concerned with was my budget and how to make every single cent last and budget wisely. I’m talking about a Ramen Noodles-every-night-for-dinner kind of budget.

Then I remembered something I saw on Pinterest (one of my favorite and free things to do) a while back. I told my boss about this “52 Week Money Challenge” I saw where you put back money every week for a whole year. The amount of money you put back depends on the week you are on. For example week 1 = $1, week 6 = $6, week 38 = $38…and so on. By the end of week 52 you will have saved $1,378.00! I could blog about this challenge and encourage people to participate and save money! Great idea right! Well I thought it was at least.

Do you know those people that think outside the box? Well my boss is one of those people that have the box, package it up, ships it across the planet, steps out of the box and thinks there! After I mentioned my idea to her she sat quietly for a few seconds and then looks at me with all seriousness and tells me, “You do the challenge!” At first I thought I heard her wrong. You mean ME? I have a hard time saving as it is.

“I’m sorry, what?” was all that popped out of my mouth.

“Yes, you do the challenge and that will give you your topic to write about!” she said without an ounce of doubt in her voice!

So that is how it started! That is why you are reading this right now and hopefully will continue to read my posts throughout the next year. I will go through this savings challenge for a whole year (52 weeks) and will blog about my experiences and sacrifices I have to make. I will post an update to how I am doing at the first of every month and hopefully someone, somewhere out there in the big wide world, is also doing the challenge and will give me some feedback and encouragement to stay strong!

So follow along my year-long journey! I plan on taking an awesome trip with my savings after my year of complete sacrifice. If you are brave enough take the journey with me, let me know what week you are on and what you are giving up. It always helps when you don’t have to go through an experience like this alone.

Until my next post…which I will be on week 5 when I return. Wish me luck! I have put back my Mr. Washington for this week which was not too hard!

Week 1: Total Savings $1

By: Tawny Ormes
     Marketing Projects Coordinator 
     and TBT Webmaster

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