Euro travelers checks
 

Has anyone had any problems cashing travelers checks in Italy? I plan on buying them in Euro but don't want any surprises when I get there.
Also has anyone used the cash cards from AAA? Thanks

Perhaps, seeing as this is a "Europe forum" we could try to observe the correct spelling of this form of finance as "traveller's cheques".

Just take cash, it's much easier, and no risk of commission for cashing these cheques.

I was a new traveller to Italy last fall and took Euros in cash, USD traveller's cheques, one ATM card and two credit cards. No problem in finding locations to cash the traveller's cheques, but the fees charged when cashing them widely varied. Next time I'll only take Euros in cash, an ATM card and the two credit cards - traveller's cheques aren't relevant anymore IMO. Have a wonderful holiday. Cheers, Linda

DO NOT take tons of cash - that is just nutty. But also don't take euro travelers' cheques. Use your ATM card to get cash as you need it at the best exchange rates.

If you want to take a few euro with you just buy the currency from your local bank or at the airport before you fly out. But don't get much because that will be your worst exchange rate.

euro TCs don't really work well because most merchants don't accept them. You end up haveing to go to a bank and pay to convert them to currency.

I agree that it is not a good idea to have a lot of Euro cash in hand, but I liked having E200 or so on me for transportation from the airport to the hotel, meals at stopover airports, etc.

LOL at everyone falling for m_kingdom's insistence on spelling "traveller's cheques" because this is a European board!

Perhaps if this was an England or UK board, that might be appropriate, but this is a board sponsored by an American company and frequented by many Americans, who spell it "travelers' checks." In the US, the term "Travelers Cheques" is used only as a brand name.

Furthermore, I'm doubt they're known as "cheques" in the Europen nations that don't speak English!

I don't understand why people are adverse to carrying large amounts of cash on them. Perhaps I should clarify, carry cash from your home to the airport, from the airport to your hotel. Once in your room, deposit most of it into your personal safe. When out and about travelling, carry small amounts only. This way there is minimal risk of losing large amounts at once.

m_kingdom:

Things must be worse with British English than I imagined if you don't distinguish between "adverse" and "averse."

I'll defend my every action:

I was toying with how to open it, and was going to start it with people being adverse to not...., but changed at the last moment, however, none the less my advice remains the same.

If you would like some ideas on how to pay for your travel while in Europe instead of a grammar lecture, I suggest taking a small amount of cash - enough to get you from the airport and perhaps eat a meal. ATM and credit or debit cards should cover the rest.

Another lame and pathetic excuse, m_k. If you're going to keep butting in on these threads with your impression of the south end of a northbound horse you'll just have to work harder on the grammar and spelling bit.

I try to offer advice that I follow myself. The trouble with ATM is that the rate, is of course, variable, whilst it can vary in your favour, often it won't. Furthermore one can usually judge when a currency is at a relative high (or conversely low) to another, buy a relatively large sum amount say 5000EUR (if you intend to travel to Europe for a long time, frequently, or will have a large account to settle at your hotel). This way you can cost everything exactly regardless of fluctuations that occur daily.

If you take traveller's cheques, consider them not as cheques but as an alternative to ATM cards (which we had to when we realized we had no cards with us that would work on the Cirrus network.) We went to various exchange bureaus, banks, etc. and converted them to straight cash. We never attempted to use them directly with vendors, which was just as well since I've heard they're not widely accepted by vendors.

While we have since made sure to have ATM cards with us that work on a variey of networks, it still can't hurt to have TC as backups. Cards do occasionally fail to work for all manner of reasons.

I can't see the point of pre-paid cash cards from AAA, though.

(By the way I've always spelt it 'cheque' and variously, 'traveler' or 'traveller' - just as I spell it 'colour' and 'endeavour'. Nothing to do with the board or any given poster, just personal habit and local custom.)

H flygal,

You will get a poor exchange rate buying TCs denominated in Euro.

You will get a poor excange rate cashing them back to dollars if you don't use them all.

You will sometimes be charged a fee to cash TCs, even denominated in Euro.

I suggest that you get about $100 at the departure airport (it will cost a few dollars extra) so that you won't have to get euros immediately upon arrival. After that use your ATM card, (it will give you the best exchange rate) for cash. Charge as much as possible.

Check with your bank for their charges for using ATMs. European banks don't charge.

Have fun

Is the adverse of averse reverse, or perverse?

I once got a paper back from my teacher with a cheque mark on it. Does that mean it was worth money? I would not be adverse or averse to that possibility.

Glad the British language cops are out.
Do we now have to use petrol rather than gas? And call vaseline petrolatum?
Z is Zed, etc?

To that I have to make the sign of peace, well, half of it at any rate.

Always listen to Ira.

Taking >$200 in cash is ludicrous. Take enough cash for the first few days and then use ATMs.

Gee, I guess even if I wanted to buy them, (which I don't) I wouldn't be able to. In the US I don't think it's even possible to buy "Traveller's Cheques". All the ones sold in the US seem to say "Traveler's Checks" (although some will say "Traveler's Checques". So I guess if you were buying them in the US to spend in Italy they wouldn't be any good according to the "expert" "m_kingdom.

By the way, like Sue, although American I tend to write cheques. I also always write "theatre" not "theater" and "moulding" not "molding", among many other words. But I think it's more than a little pompous for someone to suggest that an American going to Italy has to change his language to match the standards of the UK.

Well, I guess I should have given a little more detail. First of all, I am not well educated and can't spell anyway. So check, checque, cheque ,etc. doesn't mean much to me if it is an American or European board.

I will be traveling totally alone. I have no family and I was afraid if I were to lose my ATM card I would be up a creek. Or is it creak?

I was warned that I would look like a tourist and might run into gypsie pick pockets.

Anyway, thanks to all who replied. I do appreciate it.

Please circle miss spelled words in red!!! Thanks ;-)

1flygal-

Make sure you wear a money belt, esp if you're traveling alone. So even if you get surrounded by the gypsies, it'll still be hard for them to steal from you.

Koshka is right about taking no more than 200USD (or its foreign equivalent). More to worry about and/or lose/have stolen. Just use debit cards in ATMs and CCs for purchases.

Patrick

Good to see you can use an apostrophe.

Amazing how many Americans can't seem to on this board...

I'd also like to add that you should call your credit card company and your ATM card company to let them know the dates you will be out of the country and where you are going. Otherwise, it sometimes sends up a red flag that someone may have stolen your card & they cut it off. You might also want to get a number from them that you can call while on vacation in the event that you do lose the card.

If you are only planning one holiday in the near future in the Euro-zone i.e. where Euros are the currency then by all means don't buy such a large amount of cash, but if you have nor already paid for your lodging take at least enough to cover that. However, if you regularly travel in the Euro-zone, then it doesn't matter if you have a few Euros or a few hundred Euros still in your possession.

As I've said before this way you ensure that by buying at a good rate, everything you purchase in turn is relatively cheaper than if you were to travel and find the rate has changed against your favour. In fact I have followed my own advice today, buying enough Euros for my summer holidays.

I don't carry a lot of cash at any time. I don't want to take any chances.

I will wear a money belt because I will have to carry more cash than usual. I will have to pay for my lodging in cash.

I expect not to get a good rate. Just one of the costs of the trip.

I understand that there is a limit on the amount of cash that can be withdrawn using an ATM card. $300 a day or maybe 300 Euro. Is that correct?

1flygal,

I haven't read the rest of this thread but I thought I should put in my 2 cents.

I was in Rome at the end of November and I went alone. I had Euros in Cash and Traveller Cheques in American. I used my Credit Card once because I didn't have enough Euros on me.(Last day and I wanted a few more souvenirs)

I cashed my Traveller Cheques both at my hotel (1Euro cost $1.25 US) and at the Vatican Museum (it was based on whatever the bank was at) The only thing with the Traveller Cheques was I needed my passport at the Vatican..the hotel wasn't a problem...just your room number.

Never used the ATM because they all seemed to be in bad locations when I was looking. They can be really close to the sidewalk and the road..so if someone was going to rob me they would have gotten away quickly.

I only carried what I thought I was going to use that day (cash/cheque) and took one of my credit cards for impulse or emergency while I was out.

I only ran into one problem for begging and it wasn't a problem. She was nice when I said no and let me move on. There was no mugging, no swarming but then again I tried to go out with tours and places I felt secure.

I did however walk from my hotel up to the tour office a couple of times, twice between the hotel & the Coliseum and once from the hotel all the way to the Vatican. But I made sure I was on the side of the road where there were stores and a few people going to and from work. These were not short walks.

I hope you enjoy Italy and if you go to Venice during your trip email me at sjw_hotmail.com I would love to know how it was for a single woman.

DisneyDiva

Hi 1fly,

Our experience was that the ATMs would spit out only up to 300E at one time.

However, you can use them more than once a day if you arrange a higher daily limit with your bank.

You can make daily payments on your hotel bill if you don't want to have large amounts of cash on hand. Make sure you get a receipt for each payment.

A AAA cash card is the same as an ATM card. Ask them how much they add to the bank exchange rate and how much they charge per transaction to see if it is worth using. My bank charges only 75 cents per transaction.

The pickpocket/thief problem is somewhat overrated. Yes, thousands of visitors are robbed every year, but consider how many millions there are.

Just be aware of your surroundings, don't let anyone touch you if you can avoid it, don't let your luggage or purse sit unprotected - not even for a second.

Thanks again. It is a lot to think about. I will use all suggestions.

I talked to someone last week who said she used a copy of her passport instead of the real thing when she needed ID. Not sure for what. She doesn't use traveler's checks.

I will be going to Venice, I will try to remember to let you know how it was Disneydiva.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Traveler's checks are a waste of your valuable time and money. Don't mess with them.

Travellers cheks/cheques/checks/checques/chex/tcheks are still useful in europe as an alternative way of taking money or in addition to CCs or debit/cash/kash/cashe cards/kards or plastic/plastique/plastik.

In England do I cheque out of my hotel?
And cheque my luggage at the cheque in counter?
Anybody for a game of chequers?

>>Koshka is right about taking no more than 200USD (or its foreign equivalent).<<

I think that since this board is about Europe, we should only refer to European currency...and NEVER mention US Dollars! -:)

lyb, your point seems to make sense, but since there are nearly a dozen current currencies in Europe, what must we do, list all of them with appropriate amounts when we don't know what countries someone is going to? I think it's much easier to say, "I always get the equivalent of about $300 US from the ATM" rather than listing how many pounds that would be, how many euro it would be, how many Swiss Francs it would be, how many Kroner, etc., etc.

Patrick,

I guess sarcasm doesn't always come across the internet....I was referring to M Kingdom's comment that we should all spell "cheques" that way because it was a "European" board. :)

I didn't really mean that we shouldn't mention the US Dollars...trust me...I'm not that silly. :)

Oops, what was that sound of something whizzing over my head???

Patrick,

No problem....but is "whizzing" a word they would use in Europe? -:)

Isn't the expression "taking a whiz" British? Uh-oh, now I'm in more trouble than I thought.