My travel card, unused for six years, suddenly had a $99 OnlyFans charge

Balance approach

One reader discovered a $99.50 charge on a travel card that hadn’t been used for six years.Credit: Getty Images

Like Sandra Beckett (Traveller Letters, January 25), my travel card, which had sat in a drawer unused for six years, suddenly had £50 ($A99.50) worth of Onlyfans.com claims on it. I received regular emails over the years from the Commonwealth Australian Bank suggesting I check balances. This amount was cancelled, as were the cards. We should pay attention when reminder letters are sent; I was told this is common, hence the regular reminders.
Diana Posner, Brighton, Vic

Press pause

Your reader Sandra Beckett should consider deactivating her travel cards when she’s not travelling. The process takes two minutes in the Commonwealth Bank app.
Michael Nicholls, Travancore, Vic

Letter of the week: Cross purposes

The Southern Fuegian Railway, more aptly called the End of the World Train.Credit: Alamy

In Brian Johnston’s article (Traveller, January 28) on the steam railway in South America, he mentions the blurred borders between Chile and Argentina in Patagonia. On our own journey, the lake’s crossing route, from Puerto Varas to Bariloche, took us past the snow-capped, symmetrical cone of Mount Osorno. Travelling across several lakes, we crossed the border into Argentina in Nahuel Huapi National Park. At a stop within the beech forest, just off the dirt road, the bus driver pointed out a wrought-iron sign marking the boundary between Chile and Argentina. When asked how it felt to be in Argentina, I responded, “The air is fresher here”.
Michael Copping, Oatley, NSW

Risk assessments

I now receive regular updates from the federal government via its Smart Traveller service as to the relative safety of travel to various countries. I can only conclude from this information that nowhere is safe. The problem is that the information provided is now becoming less than useless. Remember if you cry wolf too often...
Philip Dowle, Wickham, NSW

Crabby cabbie

My son left a carry bag on the back seat of a Rydo taxi at Port Melbourne in December 2024. I rang the Rydo Call Centre, providing details of the time, place and taxi number, and was told my inquiry would be directed to the taxi driver, who would contact me. When, after several days, I had heard nothing more from either Rydo or the taxi driver, I rang Rydo and again asked if they had a central lost-items storage facility. Again, I was put through to the taxi driver.

When I asked him if he could recall the bag and what had happened to it, he said he had taken it to a police station. When I asked which police station, he changed his story and said he had dumped it in a rubbish bin. When I expressed surprise that that was all he had done and asked why he had not tried to find the owner, he became even more evasive, and the call was terminated.

I referred the matter to Safe Transport Victoria which says it expects taxi companies to have effective processes for dealing with customer service and complaints but received no response. It seems no-one wants to take responsibility.
Brian Jeffrey, Cook, ACT

Ego is a dirty word

You got it in one Nina Karnikowski in your piece on the Dalai Lama. When you arrive in the presence of someone who has overcome their own ego, recognition of it silences the mind – you realise connection is the true answer. Blessing indeed.
Heidi Roland, Balgowlah Heights, NSW

Going, going…

The Great Barrier Reef is under threat.Credit: iStock

Kudos to Lee Tulloch who bravely, succinctly and accurately travels where most are not inclined to venture – to the depths of environmental truths (Traveller, February 4). Cute koalas and the majestic Great Barrier Reef, alongside Tassie devils and our stunning beaches are all threatened or endangered due to habitat destruction or the impacts of climate change. As responsible and worldly-wise citizens, let’s commit to travelling lightly, thereby helping to preserve these iconic wonders of our own backyard.
Amy Hiller, Kew, Vic

No problem

I have only flown overseas twice in the last 10 years. In 2014 I used my Qantas Frequent Flyer points, earned from my Visa card, not flights, to fly back to the UK. Ten years later in October 2024 I again used my points to fly to the UK; outbound with Qantas, return with Emirates. On all of the sectors I had three seats to myself, as did the other passengers in the back of the economy. I have found redeeming my points trouble-free. Why do so many people complain?
Jane Fowler, Marrickville, NSW

Editor’s note: Our bronze-status columnist Ben Groundwater agrees with your. Read his piece on Qantas Frequent Flyer points here.

Sister act

I was delighted to see Justine Costigan’s account of staying at the Casa per Ferie Madonna del Rosario convent in Florence (Traveller, January 16). I stayed there some years ago, and also was the sole guest at a monastery outside the nearby town of Pistoia, each discovered on Monastery Stays. Just up the road from the Florence convent is the English Cemetery, where Elizabeth Barrett Browning is buried, as are other Brits from the 19th century, including poets Arthur Clough and Water Landor, along with one Aussie, James Lukin Davis, who died aged 26 in 1863. The custodian of the cemetery is medieval scholar Julia Bolton Holloway, formerly a British Anglican nun, who has established an extensive library there.
Jennifer Somerville, Richmond Hill, NSW

Foreign affairs

I concur that “adapting to a foreign country is... part of what travel is all about” (Traveller Letters, January 18) and have enjoyed adapting to the tribulations of independent travel, often solo, through North Korea, Iran, Syria, Burma, Tibet, Cuba, Russia and Belarus among the 80-odd countries I’ve visited across several decades. Sharing a name with the Patron Saint of travel, I also appreciate everyone has different experiences and opinions of the places they visit. Therefore I was bemused that David Thomas (Rants + raves, January 18) finds it “disappointing”, just because my Saudi visit doesn’t concur with his view that he “found the Middle East to be superior”. Accepting differences is also part of what travel is all about – maybe he just needs to broaden his horizons to avoid such “disappointments”. This is an opinion forum after all, right?
Chris Roylance, Paddington, Qld

Hot pool

I must respond to the review by Anthony Dennis of the Viking Saturn cruise ship. Although, as he states, all Viking ships are identical, I was interested to see him refer to the heated pool. This was certainly not my experience when my wife and I sailed on Viking Jupiter in the heat of August. When I asked if the pool temperature could be adjusted as it was far too warm for comfort, I was told it was not possible as there was no temperature control. When I asked how that works in cooler weather, I was simply told people don’t use the pool then.
Patrick McMahon, Paddington, NSW

Tip of the week: Peso pain

The centre of Buenos Aires and Avenida 9 de Julio (Avenue July 9 – the nation’s Independence Day).Credit: iStock

We have just returned from six weeks in South America and agree it is a good-value destination for Australians just now, but there are some caveats. Argentina is nowhere as cheap as it has been due to rampant local inflation, and we found Buenos Aires about as expensive as big Australian cities, except for taxi or Uber fares; both cheap.

But the sting is with getting cash. Forget ATMs as they all cap withdrawals at ARS30,000 to ARS40,000 ($45 to $60) and then charge an ARS12,000 to ARS15,000 ($18 to $23) withdrawal fee on international debit cards – that fee is fixed, you cannot get around it. You are better off using credit or debit cards for everything, including Uber, which we found reliable and safe. That said, many businesses will want an extra 10 per cent if you want to pay by credit card.

Taxis on the hand are problematic and only take cash. You can go to the so-called blue-money market and easily get cash exchanged at good rates, but they typically prefer US dollars.
Richard Rawling, Armadale, Vic

Cold comforts

Oslo’s Royal Palace.Credit: Alamy

We departed sweltering Sydney just a few days ago and arrived in a snowy Oslo with biting winds and below-zero temperatures. What a cool city in more ways than one. We strolled down Karl Johans Street in the snow; soaked up the magical atmosphere and spent the next three days exploring the Harbour Promenade, the Aker Brygge area along the Marina and the magnificent shopping malls, and enjoying dinners at the trendy Italian restaurant in Oslo Central Station opposite our hotel. Our long-awaited Scandinavian adventure is here.
Rhoda Silber, Manly, NSW

Talk of the towns

We recently drove the inland route home from Queensland. A wine bar in Tenterfield, NSW, served up a focaccia unlike anything I’ve had outside of Rome – a crust hard with plenty of olive oil and salt and fresh baked by the chef that morning and stuffed with locally sourced ham and pickles. A boutique hotel in Inverell, NSW, provided the original verandah to prop the feet up and watch the activity on the main street. At a caravan park in the tiny town of Nundle, NSW, a chorus of cicadas struck up as the sun sank, and the stars slowly filled a warm evening. I didn’t go overseas, yet I feel I’ve travelled. Next time I must remember that, while Australian country towns serve up so many wonderful experiences, they’re closed on a Sunday. Bring the Thermos.
Julia Hickie, Holder, ACT

Pass marks

On our three-week visit to Japan last October-November using the JR rail pass we enjoyed using the many types of Japanese trains. During our four-night stay in Tokyo we took a day-trip to Karuizawa, a favourite town of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. John’s portrait has pride of place in the French Bakery. We also had memorable experiences in Hirosaki, Hachinohe, Kesennuma and Sendai. It was particularly interesting to see the recovery efforts after the 2011 Tsunami. KPort cafe in Kesennuma was built by the actor Ken Watanabe to aid the town’s residents. It served delicious wood-fired pizzas, great coffee and cakes.
Judi Rosevear, Wantirna, Vic

Europe or bus

After a cruise along the Norwegian coast out of Rotterdam last year we had to get back to Amsterdam to connect to a flight to Berlin. After having travelled between Amsterdam to Rotterdam by train, we thought it would be a nice change to catch a bus and see the country at an even more leisurely pace. We caught a Flixbus for this trip, and were pleasantly surprised at the quality, punctuality and convenience of the service. It usually travels from central station to central station, as well as to and from airports. It proved to be quick, cheap and comfortable with spacious modern buses. Book online, pay online and use Uber to get to the pickup point with a minimum of fuss. They have a vast network over Europe.
Robert French, Kiama, NSW

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com