Travelers cheques

Are travelers cheques still usable, onboard, for purchasing foreign currency? Old-timey, I know, but I want to start using them up.

Are travelers cheques still usable, onboard, for purchasing foreign currency? Old-timey, I know, but I want to start using them up.

Absoutely. Wish I had kept mine as I don't like carrying the cash. They are hard to buy now where I am.

And before anyone joins in, we are Canadian and choose when to buy due to exchange rates. We have no desire to use ATMS and be subject to the rate that day. 10% is a big savings ;)

Yes, they are still usable on board at the Front Office. Not so much in trying to use them ashore.

I had a bunch of AmEX Travelers checks left from a number of trips. I know they are hard to use anywhere as few places now accept them. One of the banks I deal with no long er sells them but cashed them for me. I didn't want to be suck with worthless paper seeing they had real value when converted to cash..... I doubt the bank would have agreed to cash them for someone off the street and would only cash them for someone who had accounts with them.

I don't know for sure but imagine they contacted A m Ex to verify they were not reported lost..... Some of them were quite old. obviously they had to be acknowledged to be valid. None of the banks with which I am familiar still sells t hem.

IN case anyone is looking to buy them, Currency Exchange International sells them.

We do not use them because they are not convenient for the type of travel we do. We do buy US currency from time to time and simply deposit it in our US dollar account. Too many places either will not accept them or charge a fee for accepting them. The more scarce their use becomes, the less chance that they will be accepted.

I used ours up a while ago when both of our banks notified us a couple years ago that they would no longer be selling them.

So now we have a choice of carrying tons of cash or using the ATM machines and paying the fees.

Getting Euros on board will be about the worst exchange rate you can get.

What’s a travelers check?

If you need local currency, find an ATM in port. It’s the cheapest and easiest way to get local currency.

My only advice about Travelers Checks is to cash them onboard. Because on land, even if you can find somebody who knows what they are.....they will not likely cash the things. We just returned home from our winter in Puerto Vallarta (a cruise port) where the common sign at "cambios" was "We Do Not Accept Travelers Checks."

About 2 years ago we happened to be sitting in a nice Paris cafe when a guy at the next table tried to pay his check with a Travelers Check. The waiter actually asked him what it was? And then he brought over his manager....and she explained that they could not accept TCs...but suggested he go a few doors down the street where there were a few ATMs.

I must admit that we used to love carrying some TCs as a back-up to our ATM/Debit cards. But now, they are not worth much as a back up..so we have multiple ATM cards (each drawn on a different bank). None of my banks (and we use 3) even sell TCs any more.

Hank

My bank in Australia doesn't sell travelers checks anymore, but instead sells Travel Money cards. I can pre-load it with up to 4 different currencies when it's convenient for me and the exchange rates are as favorable as possible. When I use the cards, either like a credit card or at an ATM for a cash advance, I do not pay an exchange rate because the cards are loaded in the local currency.

I think it's the best possible solution right now. And since the card is a separate account, it's not connected to any of my other accounts so if it gets stolen all I have to do is cancel it and the thieves don't have access to anything else.

What are Travelers Checks? :confused:

They are still used as mentioned.

With each passing year you see much less of them though.

Keith

It might end one day.

I still use Travelers Cheques, and can't imagine cruising without them. I love being able to get US currency at the Front Desk in order to have enough cash to get home. I have money to tip the wheelchair pushers, and pay the cab driver, and don't have pressure to get to a bank so I have money for daily expenses.

I absolutely don't want to carry excess cash with me when there is a safe alternative. Travelers Cheques do the trick.

We still carry travelor's checks for cruising- we know they are not good much of anyplace else but they are so convenient when on a ship. I hate to carry large amounts of cash.

While traveling we have had our ATM card refused in several locations over the years even though we informed our bank of our proposed travel. In Dubai just a few years ago not only did our ATM card not work, our credit cards were refused at most locations - don't know what we would have done if our hotel had not cashed travelor's checks for us.

In the Chicago area BMO Harris still sells them - not at all branches but at many branches. Hope that continues. For you Canadians - I cannot help but note that BMO stands for Bank of Montreal ...

I still use Travelers Cheques, and can't imagine cruising without them. I love being able to get US currency at the Front Desk in order to have enough cash to get home. I have money to tip the wheelchair pushers, and pay the cab driver, and don't have pressure to get to a bank so I have money for daily expenses.

I absolutely don't want to carry excess cash with me when there is a safe alternative. Travelers Cheques do the trick.

We still carry travelor's checks for cruising- we know they are not good much of anyplace else but they are so convenient when on a ship. I hate to carry large amounts of cash.

 

While traveling we have had our ATM card refused in several locations over the years even though we informed our bank of our proposed travel. In Dubai just a few years ago not only did our ATM card not work, our credit cards were refused at most locations - don't know what we would have done if our hotel had not cashed travelor's checks for us.

 

In the Chicago area BMO Harris still sells them - not at all branches but at many branches. Hope that continues. For you Canadians - I cannot help but note that BMO stands for Bank of Montreal ...

I'm with you both. I like travellers cheques because I do have the ability to cash them in on board, can take the money from my US $ account so they are bought at par and not subject to the "day's" interest rate and I don't need to carry a lot of cash.

Sadly, they are getting harder and harder to buy. Both my bank and back up bank have stopped selling them. CAA (AAA in the U.S.) has stopped selling them here as well.

LOL arzz on the BMO. ;)

If one has an American Express card can you buy Am Ex TC's direct from Am Ex?

Not all cruise lines accept them any more.

I love having a few traveler's checks when traveling. If your ATM card and/or credit card are compromised and you are waiting a couple days for a replacement you can take traveler's checks to specified financial institutions for cash. It is not as easy as an ATM but great to have in case of an emergency. I just checked American Express Traveler's cheques and searched the locations they can be used in Papeete, Tahiti. There are nine locations even in Papeete. Before purchasing you can check to see what locations are available on your itinerary. I know there are those that think them so last century but they can still come in handy. JMO Cherie

My bank in Australia doesn't sell travelers checks anymore, but instead sells Travel Money cards. I can pre-load it with up to 4 different currencies when it's convenient for me and the exchange rates are as favorable as possible. When I use the cards, either like a credit card or at an ATM for a cash advance, I do not pay an exchange rate because the cards are loaded in the local currency.

 

I think it's the best possible solution right now. And since the card is a separate account, it's not connected to any of my other accounts so if it gets stolen all I have to do is cancel it and the thieves don't have access to anything else.

That sounds great. Especially for a longer cruise visiting countries with different currencies.

Does the front desk cash travelers cheques without charging a fee?

We used to get travelers cheques in pounds for travel to England. But the last time we did that, the banks were charging a fee for cashing them--even though they were already in "local" currency. The fee to cash the travelers cheques was more than the fee for the ATM.

Those who s till buy and use them, what 'brand' of TC's are they? Am Ex, AAA, or other?

Does the front desk cash travelers cheques without charging a fee?

Yes, assuming they are in US currency. You will be given US currency, then if you want foreign currency you may be able to purchase that for HAL's usual fee.

Those who s till buy and use them, what 'brand' of TC's are they? Am Ex, AAA, or other?

American Express issues them with a AAA logo at the top of the T.C. At least, that was what I experienced when I last purchased any through AAA.