Using your bank account overseas
One cause for accounts being frozen is when consumers use their cards overseas without telling their financial institution they are travelling. You can contact your bank immediately so it can resolve the issue and unfreeze your account, but it's worth letting them know you're travelling overseas before you go to avoid any issues.
Overseas money tips
Consider a travel money card. Loading up a travel money card with foreign currency before you go allows you to take advantage of the best exchange rate and avoid unnecessary fees. It also means if something does happen to your bank account, you can still access these funds.
Get travel insurance. Comprehensive travel insurance can provide protection against lost or stolen credit cards and the theft of cash, including cover for credit card fraud.
Use cash and cards. Make sure to take a combination of cash and cards with you so you can pay for all your purchases.
Lock it or block it. If you're worried about falling victim to thieves or fraudsters while overseas, you can contact your bank before you go to lock or block your credit card, or perhaps lower your transaction limit.
Can an adult family member with knowledge of your account details access your bank financial details such as deposits? Can such a member withdraw money from your account>
Hi Anthony,
Your family member would need to know your logins and passwords to gain access; they are not allowed to access your account (say, by visiting a branch or calling the bank) if you’re under 18, unless they are a joint account holder with you.
Even if you have shared your banking details, it is not legal for a family member to access your bank account or withdraw money without your express consent. This is considered financial abuse, a form of family/domestic violence, or theft. Accessing accounts without permission violates banking terms and, in many jurisdictions, is a criminal offence. If you suspect a family member has accessed your accounts, you may want to contact the bank to cancel your card/account and set up new account numbers, along with changing your password. Best of luck.
When I try to get a loan out and they want my bank statement I can’t give it to them as my account is locked could you please unlock it
Hi Louise, Finder is a comparison site and doesn’t have access to your bank details – you’ll need to directly contact your bank in order to gain access to your account.
How do I unlock my bank card
Hi Avis,
You’ll need to contact your bank, most likely via phone and then ask them to unlock your card or issue a new one.
please am in eygpt country and i have been trying to make a transaction since yesterday is not going through and i think my account as been lock and i want to unlock it
Hello, this is a review and comparison site, so you’ll need to contact your bank directly to get help with your issue. Best of luck, we hope it gets sorted quickly for you!
Commonwealth Bank in Australia locked me out of my online banking because I was buying Bitcoin via an exchange. Their scams department interrogated me asking questions including: Why are you buying Bitcoin? What to do hope to achieve from buying Bitcoin? Who advised you? Why are you using this exchange? How many Bitcoin do you own? Provide us with your wallet address so we can verify the details?. Then they locked me out when I didn’t provide them with my wallet address. After being locked out, I sent them this. They confirmed that they had received it and never unlocked my accounts. I had to go to a branch to close my accounts and transfer money to another branch. My question is, is this legal? If I didn’t have a bank account with another branch I would have been screwed. Caused me a great deal of stress and loss of potential Bitcoin gains. I would like to take them to court.
Hi Andrew, I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I’d suggest you seek some personal financial or legal advice about this matter, as we’re only able to offer general advice on products and services.