Is Visa's Emergency Cash Disbursement reliable?

I have read the benefits page of Visa credit card, and it says they offer Cash Disbursement in case the card is stolen and they have a Global Customer Care number people can call and they will offer the cash:

Lost, stolen or damaged card? Need emergency cash?

Visa credit cardholders can get an emergency cash advance disbursed or a card replaced within one business day, or in some cases, within 24 hours, after approval.

Benefit at a glance

Call Visa Global Customer Care Services at 1-800-VISA-911 for assistance with a card replacement and/or an emergency cash disbursement. Toll-free phone numbers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Benefit details

How do I get emergency cash? A Visa Global Customer Care Services associate (1-800-VISA-911, or call one of our global toll-free numbers) will work with you and your financial institution for approval and Visa will arrange a convenient location for you to collect the emergency cash.

Is this reliable for travelers? has anyone tried it and it actually worked? the "after approval" part sound suspicious to me..

Best Answer

I recently faced this situation while travelling. One of my bank debit cards was cancelled by the bank since they found out an online merchant I had used had been hacked.

You should first contact your bank directly. Many of them provide 'emergency cash' services at their branches around the globe, while some (such as NatWest) can give you an emergency cash code that can be entered on on their own ATMs to withdraw cash.

Visa's Global Assistance hotline is actually pretty useful too (and they do provide toll-free numbers specific to each country). However, you should note that this service is NOT free and your bank account will typically be charged a transaction fee for the cash advance that you get.