Cashing Travelers Checks On Board

[zelker]

Can anyone tell me if there is a limit as to how much in Travelers Checks the ship will cash for me?

[Kathie44]

Do you mean in general or all at once? You don't need a lot of cash due to the convenience of the Sea Pass. I cash a few on each cruise, mostly for tips on excursions or the slot machines or just in case I buy something off the ship and can't charge it. But in the casino you can get cash from your Sea Pass and it won't be charged as a cash advance.

[zelker]

I mean all at once. I know I don't need cash onboard - but let's say I want to cash $700 in Traveler's Checks to pay for our St. Petersburg private tour. Can I just walk up to the Pursur's Desk and have them cash that much?

 

I have also read that one can get advances against your Sea Pass at the casino but do they actually give you cash or is it in chips and then you have to convert it to cash after some amount of time has passed?

[BILLP1]

Why carry travel checks? Use an ATM card.

[Hebe]

Yes they will cash travelers check but the easy way is just go to the casino and give them your seapass. You get the cash (not chips) and you tell them how you want it ($100s - $20s etc).

 

The balance you want to consider is if you want to walk around Russia with that much cash on your body. If you are using Red October they will take a credit card. May have a small fee but it was safe.

[zelker]

Yes they will cash travelers check but the easy way is just go to the casino and give them your seapass. You get the cash (not chips) and you tell them how you want it ($100s - $20s etc).

 

The balance you want to consider is if you want to walk around Russia with that much cash on your body. If you are using Red October they will take a credit card. May have a small fee but it was safe.

 

Yes, we're using RO. They won't charge a fee but my credit card company will. Figured we'd just get cash on Day 2 and give to guide right away so as not to worry about carrying it around. Not a good idea?

[zelker]

Why carry travel checks? Use an ATM card.

 

ATM's limit is $500 per withdrawal, plus they charge 1% (plus whatever the ATM fees are). I know I have to pay 1% to get Travelers Checks but I'm not limited that way.

[Marytutor]

be aware of using credit card with Red October. They do a double conversion between the $ amount they indicated by converting it to rubles and then to Euros(or maybe it was the other way around, but it ended up costing us about 10% more than what we were quoted on the two day tour. I think that it is that way in many other areas also.

 

Mary

[dkjretired]

Can anyone tell me if there is a limit as to how much in Travelers Checks the ship will cash for me?

 

Be aware that many places are not accepting travelers checks anymore. They are going the way of the telegram and will probably be gone soon. I would use a combo of ATMs or cash from the casino. The casino will give you up to $2000per day on your ship card and at the end of the week it will be charged to your credit card as a purchase. Great way to add up those miles, etc. but seriously I would reconsider the travelers checks idea.

[zelker]

I know that many places don't take tTravelers Checks anymore and wasn't planning on using them except to get cash in amounts higher than $500. But if you can guarantee me that we can get up to $2K at the casino, we can go that route (and get miles on our credit card and not dinged as a cash advance, right?).

 

Mary -- do you know about this double conversion with RO from personal experience???? Yikes! That's awful. I'm going to email Laura right now and ask her about that.

 

Thanks.

 

Barb

[snowmc]

Check with AAA - they have a new cash card which you can load with whatever $ amount you want to spend. This is especially useful, if like us, you don't use ATM cards at home. Plus much safer - it carries the same security quarantee as t-checks. ;)

[dkjretired]

I know that many places don't take tTravelers Checks anymore and wasn't planning on using them except to get cash in amounts higher than $500. But if you can guarantee me that we can get up to $2K at the casino, we can go that route (and get miles on our credit card and not dinged as a cash advance, right?).

 

 

Mary -- do you know about this double conversion with RO from personal experience???? Yikes! That's awful. I'm going to email Laura right now and ask her about that.

 

Thanks.

 

Barb

 

They have been doing that for years, many people have reported same on this board. I personally did it on several of my cruises... Nothing is a guarantee, they could stop doing it tomorrow...

[raudacruise]

Agree with Don. We've been using the Casino "ATM" for all of our cruises on Celebrity and Royal Carib. RCCL seems to be the only ones that allows free charges to the ship account (although free means I usually lose a little on blackjack). Other cruise lines typically charge about 3%.

 

Remember the $2000/day is going to be posted to your credit card and I'm going to assume the ship is doing something called a "preauth" almost everyday you have charges just to make sure you have enough credit limit to cover your charges. You still have to make sure you stay within whatever credit card limit you have.

[zelker]

Agree with Don. We've been using the Casino "ATM" for all of our cruises on Celebrity and Royal Carib. RCCL seems to be the only ones that allows free charges to the ship account (although free means I usually lose a little on blackjack). Other cruise lines typically charge about 3%.

 

Remember the $2000/day is going to be posted to your credit card and I'm going to assume the ship is doing something called a "preauth" almost everyday you have charges just to make sure you have enough credit limit to cover your charges. You still have to make sure you stay within whatever credit card limit you have.

 

By Casino ATM, I assume you mean getting money advanced from the casino against our account, not literally the ATM near the casino?? :o

 

And of course I am aware that we can't go above our credit limit. Besides, I wasn't planning on buying anything THAT expensive! If I spend that much money, I pretty much better forget about cruising for the next 5 years!! ;)

[raudacruise]

By Casino ATM, I assume you mean getting money advanced from the casino against our account, not literally the ATM near the casino?? :o

 

And of course I am aware that we can't go above our credit limit. Besides, I wasn't planning on buying anything THAT expensive! If I spend that much money, I pretty much better forget about cruising for the next 5 years!! ;)

 

 

I meant the Casino Cashier Cage. The credit limit warning wasn't directed at you, just a general warning. Folks sometimes forget.