800,000 Orbitz Customers’ Credit Card Data Breached

According to USA Today, Orbitz.com suffered a major data breach that may affect up to 800,000 customers who booked during 2016.

Per USA Today, “An attacker may have accessed customers’ personal information for some purchases made on Orbitz.com between January 1, 2016, and June 22, 2016. In addition, customer information from multiple travel sites that used Orbitz as their booking engine was possibly compromised between January 1, 2016 and December 22, 2016.” The breach occurred last fall and was discovered March 1.

USA Today adds that the breach affected Amextravel.com and “travel booked through Amex Travel Representatives,” but not AmericanExpress.com. Customers can check online to see if they were affected by the breach.

Obviously any breach of one’s personal data is alarming, not to mention a huge headache if you need to replace cards, update payment info, and go through your statements to sniff out suspicious charges. For travelers, it may be worth calling any providers where you made a reservation to ensure your booking won’t be affected if and when you get a new card. This shouldn’t be a problem, but the peace of mind may be worth it.

This is a good opportunity to refresh some basic credit card safety tips traveling:

• • • Let your bank or credit card company know when you’re traveling outside your home area, especially abroad. Give them specific dates so they can flag any suspicious transactions that show up after your trip ends.
    • Note the phone numbers for your bank or credit card in your phone or notebook
    • Sign up for transaction notifications or alerts so you can quickly identify purchases you didn’t make.
    • Carry some cash, just in case your card is lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised
    • Familiarize yourself with the process of freezing your credit. This can prevent thieves from using your stolen data to open new accounts in your name

Readers, do you have any additional tips for using credit cards while traveling?

• • More from SmarterTravel.com:

  • How to Choose the Best Travel Credit Card
  • 5 Tricky Travel Scams (and How to Avoid Them)
  • Avoiding Identity Theft: A Cautionary Tale at 35,000 Feet