September 10 Summit Cash or Traveler's Checks

[Jade13]

Cash

 

We also carry credit cards for purchases off the ship if the vendor will take them.

 

 

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[Ma Bell]

Agree that travellers checks are not worth it anymore. Cash is better-if you're afraid to bring too much at once, there are ATMs on the ship and if that runs out of money, the casino will let you draw on your room charge for a 3% fee. (No you don't have to use it to gamble.) I wouldn't use your debit card anywhere-protection against fraud is better on a real credit card. Also, call your credit card company and let them know where you are going and when, including the cruise and all ports of call-they make a note of it so your card doesn't get cancelled because they see charges from odd places. (Don't forget there are sometimes exchange rate fees when using credit cards in foreign countries.) You could get canadian dollars ahead of time from an exchange bureau or online, or they might have them to exchange at guest services on the ship, or even at an ATM in canada with your credit card.

 

I'm assuming it's been a while since you were on a Celebrity cruise. There are no longer cash advances available in the casino. They will only load your card or give you promotional chips for gambling and it must be used, you can't cash anything out except winnings. It's also been a long time since the fee was 3%

[Can'tstopcruising]

It's been many years since we used travellers cheques. The last time, we had to find certain banks affiliated with AMex who would cash them.

 

We use credit card whenever possible.

 

We take some US cash for US and for Caribbean cruises.

 

We take Euros (cash) for Europe. We always have leftovers, which we keep for the next time.

 

For non-Euro countries, we take very little of their currency if we are there for only one day.

 

If the OP is going to Canada, I recommend credit card and just use your US money where cards are not taken. That will most likely be for incidentals, and if the exchange rate is poor, it won't amount to a big difference. Have small bills, because your change will be Canadian.

 

Enjoy, whatever you decide!

[LA_CA_GAL]

. They will only load your card or give you promotional chips for gambling and it must be used, you can't cash anything out except winnings.

 

Just curious, what are "promotional chips"?

[miched]

Discover doesn't charge any foreign transaction fee, problem is not many if any place in Canada accept Discover.

 

Check with your CC company and see if they charge a foreign transaction fee and see if they give the true exchange rate.

 

One nice feature in Canada is all of the servers in a restaurant carry a hand held CC scanner that makes the transaction and prints out the receipt. The card never leaves your sight.

 

Not all banks give the same exchange rate and most stores rip you off if paying in US Dollars.

 

For the best overall method just use your CC if possible and pay the transaction fee if they charge or maybe don't purchase anything or dine off the ship. In reality no matter what method of payment you choose the difference isn't that significant considering the overall cost of the cruise.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[caribill]

Just curious, what are "promotional chips"?

 

Chips that basically Celebrity gives you for free. They do not want free chips to be cashed in, so you must use them at the tables. But if you win, you are given regular chips that can be cashed in.

[cb at sea]

The ships...ALL of them, still accept traveler's checks. Do NOT use a debit card...holds are placed on your account, and can last for a week or more after potential charges...it can truly affect your spending while ON vacation, and afterwards! Bring some cash, so you don't need to use ATM's.....there is a safe in your cabin on almost every ship to store your cash.

[tipsygirl]

Like most posters we haven't used travelers checks for many years. We have a debit card that is connected to a small travel account, separate from our regular checking account. It is at the same bank so we can easily transfer funds into and out of it. We use this card only for accessing cash at ATM's, and mainly for travel out of the country.

We take 2 credit cards when we travel...my husband carries one and I carry the other...so we have a backup if one cc is compromised or stolen. The cards do not have foreign transaction fees. Never use them for cash advances, but always use them in lieu of cash if we can. Our Debit and Credit card accounts are set up to send us an alert whenever they have been used for any purchase. We get a second alert if it is an overseas or online purchase. Although our cards have been hacked over the years we have never had a problem being reimbursed for either the debit or credit card issues.

We also keep copies of the US and International phone numbers for the banks behind our credit and debit cards separate from the cards themselves, and have them in our cell phone contacts, in case we have an issue.

[TeeRick]

The ships...ALL of them, still accept traveler's checks. Do NOT use a debit card...holds are placed on your account, and can last for a week or more after potential charges...it can truly affect your spending while ON vacation, and afterwards! Bring some cash, so you don't need to use ATM's.....there is a safe in your cabin on almost every ship to store your cash.

 

Sorry- but I think this is questionable advice to Not use a debit card. I did this myself in the old days but the transactional universe has changed. Probably millions of cruise passengers use debit cards at the ship ATMs and at various ATMs in ports. Likely only a small fraction of cruise passengers use Traveler's Checks. Some larger fraction take cash. There are probably safer ATM's in ports such as at banks vs those out in the open. Traveler's checks are just not used very often anymore- a thing of the past. Traveling with a lot of cash is not very sound advice either. Just check to see if your debit card transactions are protected by your home bank. Or use the cash advance feature of a good credit card -but this will be more expensive with a fee.

[LA_CA_GAL]

.... Traveling with a lot of cash is not very sound advice either.

 

I always take a ton of cash.

 

It is just so easy and universally accepted.

 

No way I am going to lose it, and I never put myself in a position with the possibility of being robbed.

 

I get on the ship, put it in the safe, and take out whatever I need for the day.

 

I usually come home with most of it.

[TeeRick]

You have been very fortunate.

[LA_CA_GAL]

You have been very fortunate.

 

Have you lost cash or been robbed on a cruise vacation?

[Lookingforfacts]

Deleted

Edited August 15, 2017 by Lookingforfacts

[TeeRick]

Have you lost cash or been robbed on a cruise vacation?

 

I do take some cash and leave it in the cabin safe - take just what I need with me in ports. Thankfully we have never been robbed or lost cash. A couple we were traveling with got robbed of their cash in a taxi in Athens, Greece a couple of years ago. If you go to an ATM and take out cash you have a potential to be robbed too. There is no easy answer to any of this - just be careful.

[TeeRick]

Just one more thought here for those using Traveler's Checks. They have been mostly replaced by prepaid credit or debit cards. For those not wanting to use their personal debit card linked to their own bank when traveling for security reasons, get a prepaid debit card - VISA has them for example. The fee to purchase one is probably like the fee for Traveler's checks, but you will get the best exchange rate when using them with no additional fees. They will be accepted everywhere unlike Traveler's Checks. They are protected against theft/fraud. They really are the next generation of Traveler's Checks.