Similarly, 1.8 million people have used their credit cards to pay for emergency medical costs when falling ill outside the country, according to research from Capital One.

Credit card companies have also helped out in times of crisis, helping to arrange immediate access to cash for 1.3 million people if they lost their wallet or had it stolen.

More than a million people were relieved to find their credit card provider could issue them with replacements for important identity documents, while 1.2 million have made use of the emergency legal assistance on offer.

However, while 3.4 million of the 1,000 adults polled said they had been “saved” by their credit card when abroad, the potential is also there much closer to home.

More than three million people have used their credit card to close a shopping dispute satisfactorily.

Capital One’s Justin Basini said: “In this age of increased mobility and international travel, it’ s no wonder that an increasing number of people wouldn’t dream of leaving home without their credit card.”

To read more about credit cards, click here.

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