Yep, it’s happened. My wallet was taken out of my daypack-style backpack in Copenhagen, Denmark on Monday. And yes, I know better than to have my credit card with it. As much as it was a bummer to lose the money, the credit card put me on edge.
I think I’m better now.
I found out the wallet was missing when I went to pay for items I was buying at Tiger, Denmark’s answer to the Dollar Store. It didn’t matter how cheap the items were since I didn’t have my wallet when I went to pay. I discovered the bag open and the wallet gone at the cash register after everything was totaled. The bagged items not to be purchased by me were left with the guy at the counter.
After retracing our steps, just in case the wallet somehow dropped out and somehow no one would have picked it up, we went to the main police station to report it missing. The police officer gave me a phone to use and pointed out the number for VISA in a big book on the desk.
Even though I couldn’t remember my credit card number, I was connected to someone in the U.S. who is with the bank that issued me the credit card in the first place. Within minutes, the credit card was canceled and a new one should be arriving in the mail soon. If we were staying in Denmark longer, I would have been able to have a credit card mailed to the address where we are staying with friends. With less than 24 hours left to be in Denmark, there was no point in that.
The police officer did file a report and I have a copy. The copy is in Danish, but I asked for the English version of the form to attach to it. I also asked the person who I talked with from the bank to write a note about when I called and make a notation about the only two times I’ve used the card since I’ve been in Europe. I have the receipts for those two transaction. Hopefully, this will be the end of this saga.
I was concerned about having only twenty U.S. left and a few Danish coins for our trip back to Columbus. We arrived back home without having to spend another dime. My friend gave me money with no strings attached when we went to Tivoli Gardens so I would have some money to spend.
The plus side is that my driver’s license was not in my wallet. That’s one less thing to hassle with, although I do need to get another AAA and health insurance card.
By the way, when I started out on the trip, I wasn’t keeping my money in my wallet, but in a passport pouch. Once my daughter and I started staying with friends, I became more lax.
Don’t be lax –EVER– is my new motto.