Traveller's checks, personal checks or cash?

[kirin]

As far as I know HAL will not cash a personal check..We always took Travelers checks up until last January when we took our long South American/Antarctica cruise..about a week prior to departure I went in to our bank (Wells Fargo) & was told they no longer sell Travelers checks...We ended up with thousands in cash which made me very nervous until we got it into our Cabin safe..Next time will try to google American Express Travelers checks & see if we can find a local bank which sells them..

 

Betty

 

P.S. What happened to my spell check on the new posting box? :confused:

 

I see that you are in Florida. If you have a Suntrust Bank nearby, you might inquire there. I got Traveler's Checks from them about a year ago. I don't remember if they were Amex, MasterCard or Visa, but I could cash them easily at the front desk on the Westerdam.

 

Like some posters above, I also find that hotels, restaurants and merchants will generally not accept TC these days. Some banks (including Bank of America) will also refuse to cash them, as their computer system is not set up to handle such a procedure. (So I was told by Bank of America.)

 

Kate

[Bluwater7]

No problem cashing TC at the front desk on the Rotterdam last winter.

[whogo]

Holland America's front desk is one of the few places that cheerfully cash US dollar traveler's checks. I withdraw cash from ATM's, but I carried traveler's checks for years in US dollars that my bank offered at face value. I never needed them and would cash them back in after my trip. I quit carrying the checks when my bank quit offering them.

 

The time has come when travelers should have an ATM card and know how to use it.

[pdroth]

You can always "buy" casino chips at any game then go cash them in. They bill it straight to your room charge with no added fee, which then gets charged to your credit card on file.

[tkwbear]

I only buy these for use on cruises. AAA stopped selling them saying that fraud had become a problem. Chase gives me free traveler's checks as part of my account package, but they frequently don' have any.

 

I like the idea of the casino advances, I had not thought of that! However at some point HAL will notice and enforce some rules.

 

Sometimes I will buy extra shipboard credit and collect any overage on the last day of the cruise - but that's the only time you can collect it. Sometimes the front desk staff doesn't realize that anything not labeled "promo credits" can be refunded - like on my last 2 cruises. However, the supervisors did know this and I got the cash while HAL ate the 3% service charge.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Cash works the best ...

[Hlitner]

Travelers Checks are fine if you plan on cashing them on the ship. But as others have said, when it comes to off the ship Travelers Checks are nearly obsolete and becoming increasingly difficult to cash throughout the world. We are now in the era of ATMs which give some of the best exchange rates and are easy to use around the world. The major problem with ATMs are that there are always daily withdrawal limits (which can be set by your own issuing bank and/or the system you use when you withdraw). Many of us who travel frequently (and take long trips) have found that the best solution is to have multiple ATM cards/accounts drawn on different banks. In my own case I have 2 ATM accounts (both with credit unions that charge zero foreign exchange fees) and DW has a 3rd ATM Card (at a different bank). Not only do multiple cards allow us to withdraw much larger daily amounts....but they provide a good back-up in case one card is lost, eaten, etc.

 

The other popular option is to use credit cards. There are a few fee-free cards, such as the Capitalone Master Card or the Andrews Federal Credit Union Global Trek Visa, that have zero foreign exchange fees (Andrews also issues one of the few Chip/PIN ATM cards in the USA). Most other credit cards assess a foreign exchange fee ranging from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 percent. Perhaps one of the most outrageous is American Express who charges a 2.7% foreign exchange fee (except on their pricy Platinum Card) even thought their card holders pay hefty annual fees. I once asked AMEX why we should use their card overseas when we have other cards that are totally fee free. Their response was that we should pay $450 a year for their Platinum Card which does not have a foreign exchange fee. We thought that response was kind of "lame."

 

Hank

Edited December 16, 2013 by Hlitner

[serendipity1499]

Travelers checks are accepted anywhere. Just like cash.

Not so...I've had many merchants refuse a TC..However we would normally cash our TC's on board..[/FONT]

 

I see that you are in Florida. If you have a Suntrust Bank nearby, you might inquire there. I got Traveler's Checks from them about a year ago. I don't remember if they were Amex, MasterCard or Visa, but I could cash them easily at the front desk on the Westerdam.

 

Like some posters above, I also find that hotels, restaurants and merchants will generally not accept TC these days. Some banks (including Bank of America) will also refuse to cash them, as their computer system is not set up to handle such a procedure. (So I was told by Bank of America.)

 

Kate

 

Thanks Kate..I'll check out Suntrust next time..We have one nearby..

 

Cheers..Betty

[Hlitner]

I should have mentioned that we are now seeing more and more European banks with signs (sometimes handwritten) in their window that something like, "We do not cash travelers checks or foreign exchange transactions." It is still pretty easy to exchange cash at various kisoks..although the exchange rate/fees may not be nearly as attractive as what you pay to use an ATM.

 

Hank