With predictions of a surge in people taking gap years in 2009 due to the economic downturn, International Currency Exchange (ICE) is warning travellers that while they are enriching their lives, they need to watch their money and ensure they don't fall prey to theft or credit card fraud abroad.

Andrew Hamilton, Head of Marketing for ICE says: "About 200,000* Britons take a gap year each year, including school leavers, graduates and those on career breaks, whether enforced through redundancy or by choice. This number looks set to increase significantly in 2009 with unemployment rates on the increase and graduate jobs becoming scarce.

"Just recently some city firms said they were incentivising graduate recruits to defer their employment for a year. All of this is fuelling an overseas travel boom. However, it is vital that this once in a lifetime opportunity isn't spoilt by travellers falling victim to fraud and theft abroad - particularly when their travel budgets might be funded by redundancy payments or savings that might otherwise have gone towards a house deposit. This is where the ICE Travellers cashcard prepaid MasterCard offers gap year travellers better protection in case of theft, with a prepaid PIN protected card.

With the option to have more than one card on the account (supplementary cards), worried parents can help their travelling teenagers by topping up the funds on the account, ensuring they can manage the budget throughout the entire trip.

With the ICE Travellers cashcard prepaid MasterCard, gap year travellers can forget their worries about using their bank cards abroad and say goodbye to credit card charges and the risks of carrying cash around.

"The ICE Travellers cashcard offers consumers a very real alternative to bank credit and debit cards, travellers' cheques and cash," explains Andrew Hamilton. "Accepted at over 25 million ATMs, shops and restaurants in over 120 countries worldwide, our cashcard carries the MasterCard brand and will be accepted wherever travellers see the logo displayed.

"We understand the hassle associated with making sure your money is safe while abroad. Our prepaid card provides travellers with a system that's secure and easy to use because unlike a credit card it can only be used up to the funds on it and unlike a bank debit card it won't cause a lot of problems with your current account if the details are stolen. These factors provide peace of mind to travellers keen to get on with their gap year as well as the many parents helping to fund these trips."

To apply for the ICE Travellers cashcard, customers need to log on to www.iceplc.com with their passport or driver's licence - it just takes a few minutes to run through the online application.

Source: *The Guardian 20/12/08