The first hour: what to do, in order

1. Freeze the card in your banking app. It takes seconds and stops card payments and withdrawals immediately. If it turns up, you can unfreeze it.
2. Check recent transactions. Look for payments or withdrawals you didn't make, and screenshot them.
3. Report it lost or stolen in the app or by phone, so the bank cancels the card and orders a replacement.
4. Freeze any other cards that were with it — debit, credit and travel cards.
5. If your phone has gone too, borrow one to call your bank, and change your email and banking passwords as soon as you can.
6. Switch to your backup card for payments and cash.
7. Report a theft to the Tourist Police on 1155 and get a written report — your insurer will usually need it.
8. Tell your travel insurer if cash, cards or belongings were stolen, and keep receipts for anything you have to replace.

Freezing first is the most important step. Under UK rules you shouldn't lose money from genuine fraud on your card as long as you report it promptly and haven't been grossly negligent — for example, by writing your PIN on the card. The sooner you freeze and report, the stronger your position.

If the card was swallowed by an ATM rather than lost or stolen, freeze it and see our guide to withdrawing cash in Thailand, which explains how travellers have recovered retained cards from bank branches.

Numbers to call from Thailand

Save these before you travel — on your phone and on paper somewhere separate from your wallet. UK 0800 numbers don't work from abroad.

If you can't reach your bank, the Visa or Mastercard emergency line — depending on the logo on your card — can block the card and pass the details to your bank. Calling from a Thai mobile, a hotel phone or an internet calling app all work; your bank's app chat is often quickest of all.

Getting money when you have no working card

If you've lost every card at once, these are your options, roughly from quickest to slowest:

If your passport has gone too, you'll need it — or an emergency travel document — to collect cash and to exchange money, so contact the British Embassy straight away. Without ID, a backup card or phone payments are your quickest route.

Backup options compared

What each kind of backup gives you if your main card disappears. Scroll sideways on a phone.

Keep at least two of these, stored separately. Checked October 2026.

Getting a replacement card in Thailand

Getting a physical replacement card delivered to Thailand is the slowest part of the process, and some banks won't do it at all — many send replacements only to your UK address. Ask your bank as soon as you report the card. Practices we've seen include:

• Instant digital details. Some apps issue new card details immediately for online and phone payments.
• International delivery for a fee. Starling, for example, charges £10 to send a replacement card overseas.
• UK address only. Some banks post replacements only to your registered UK address — a family member can then courier it to you.
• Emergency replacement cards. Visa and Mastercard emergency services can sometimes arrange a temporary card through your issuer.

Couriering a card from the UK to Thailand usually takes several working days, longer to islands and rural areas. If you're only in Thailand for a week or two, it's often simpler to rely on your backup card and collect the replacement when you get home.

Whatever you do, don't ask friends or family to send your PIN or card details by message. Your bank will send a new PIN separately, or let you view it securely in the app.

If someone has used your card

If you see payments or withdrawals you didn't make, report them to your bank straight away, with the screenshots you took. Banks must refund unauthorised payments under UK rules unless you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence, such as writing your PIN on the card or telling someone the PIN.

The experience differs between debit and credit cards. Fraud on a debit card takes your own money until it's refunded, which can leave you short in Thailand. Fraud on a credit card uses the lender's money, so your own balance isn't touched while it's investigated. That's one more reason to carry a fee-free credit card alongside your debit card.

Get a written police report from the Tourist Police if the card was stolen. Your bank may not need it, but your travel insurer usually will, and it helps if there's a dispute later.

Watch out for follow-up scams

A lost or stolen card is sometimes followed by a second attempt to get your money. Criminals who have your card or phone may call, text or message pretending to be your bank, asking you to "confirm" a code, move money to a "safe account" or read out your card details to stop fraud.

• Your bank will never ask for your PIN, full password or one-time passcode.
• Never move money to a "safe account" because a caller tells you to.
• Hang up and call back on the number in your app or on your bank's website.
• Be wary of messages with links claiming your card has been blocked.

If you've already shared a code or details, call your bank immediately on its official overseas number and tell it exactly what happened.

What travel insurance covers — and what it doesn't

Travel insurance usually doesn't cover the card itself — your bank replaces that — but it can help with the knock-on costs. Check your policy for:

Cash cover is commonly capped at a few hundred pounds. Many policies also include a 24-hour assistance line that can help with emergency funds or arrange a call with your bank. Save the policy number and that line with your bank numbers.

Set up before you fly so it can't strand you

Ten minutes of preparation turns a lost card from a crisis into an inconvenience:

• Carry two fee-free cards from different banks, one Visa and one Mastercard.
• Keep them apart — one in your wallet, one in the hotel safe or a different bag.
• Know how to freeze each card in its app, and check you can log in.
• Add both cards to Apple Pay or Google Pay.
• Save every overseas number on your phone and on paper.
• Carry £100–200 in emergency sterling, separate from your cards.
• Photograph your passport and cards and store the images securely.
• Set up a Thai eSIM so you can call and use banking apps even if your UK SIM doesn't work.

The best backup cards for Thailand

The best protection against a lost card is a second fee-free card from a different bank, on a different network.

If you live in Thailand

For expats, a lost UK card is more than a holiday hassle. Many UK banks only send replacement cards to a UK address, and some accounts can't be kept once you live abroad. If your only access to your UK money is a single card, losing it can cut you off for weeks.

The answer is the same as for travellers, on a bigger scale: a Thai bank account for daily life, more than one way to reach your UK money, and a clear plan for moving funds between the two. It's worth getting right before something goes wrong.