Unfortunately advising the bank about going abroad did not work for me. 3-4 years ago, when I went to Europe, my Canadian Visa card stopped working. After calling the bank, I received the usual unusual activity answer. Ok, next year, before leaving for Europe, I called the bank and advised them about my travel plans. Guess what! My card stopped working again. I called the bank and again received the unusual activity answer. When I told them that I had already called the bank in advance and informed them about my travel plans, they told me that an automated program was performing the cancellations. So even if you call them in advance, there is a chance that your card can be frozen. For North American travelers, I recommend to have a non-800 phone number of the bank so that you can call them when you are at Europe.

Kerem in Toronto