US Travelers checks in China??????
Apr 25th, 2007, 06:13 AM
#1
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US Travelers checks in China??????
This might be a rather stupid question, but how easy is it to use your travelers checks in China? We are leaving this Tuesday (May 2nd) and just wanted to make sure it was an easy process to convert these. I know we will be there during China Labor Day, are the banks closed as well?
Apr 25th, 2007, 06:44 AM
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Be sure it's American Express traveler checks! Last May in Shanghai, my 4-star hotel would not cash my Visa traveler checks (they did it the previous year). Neither would a local bank. They all referred me to Bank of China. So I did cash some Visa traveler checks at one of the branches of Bank of China only after waiting a long time for them to clear the checks by calling Visa.
My hotel would have cashed American Express traveler checks - at least in May 2006.
My hotel would have cashed American Express traveler checks - at least in May 2006.
Apr 25th, 2007, 11:25 AM
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I had the same unfortunate experience with Visa TC as lxchiang did in Beijing and somewhere else, I don't remember, last fall. I guess the word has gone out that only American Express checks are to be cashed.
If you do use AmEx checks, you can cash them for a slightly better rate than dollars at virtually all 5 and 4 star hotels and maybe some 3-stars. Hotels with exchange desks are "open" every day, no problem with holidays, BUT with the May 1 Golden Week both hotels and banks may run out of money -- actually are likely to run out and if I were to guess, I'd say banks are running on a closed or cut-back schedule that week. ATM's are a good alternative but they, too, often run out of cash on weekends and holidays, so don't let your money get too low before starting to change more!
K
If you do use AmEx checks, you can cash them for a slightly better rate than dollars at virtually all 5 and 4 star hotels and maybe some 3-stars. Hotels with exchange desks are "open" every day, no problem with holidays, BUT with the May 1 Golden Week both hotels and banks may run out of money -- actually are likely to run out and if I were to guess, I'd say banks are running on a closed or cut-back schedule that week. ATM's are a good alternative but they, too, often run out of cash on weekends and holidays, so don't let your money get too low before starting to change more!
K
