Can i buy travelers checks in France denominated in Euros at any bank? My daughter will need to buy some travelers checks (no ATM card) when she goes off on her own. Does it make sense to buy them over in France instead of in the USA? (I know that no one uses them anymore, but she does not have an ATM card and it is too late to get her one).

I assume i can get a better exchange rate over there and then buy the TC in Euros. Is this easy to do?

Thanks for any advice on this - we leave in 2 days so i have to decide right away. Still seems better than carrying cash.

She will have a LOT of problems trying to use Trav Checks. Most places will NOT take them. And even many banks won;t cash them.

Is it not possible to get her an extra card on one of you CC accounts? Or an ATM card? (Can;t you just walk into your bank and get one on the spot?)

Really, the TCs will be a major issue - esp in evenings, weekends and in small towns.

If she is traveling with you and just going off on her own for the day or the evening, she is much better off with a day's worth of cash than something it could take her hours to deal with. (We gave my step-daughters cash when they were younger - and they each had an ATM card and a back-up credit card once they were old enough to go places alone -15).

How long does it take to get an ATM card? There are still locations that will sell you Travelers cheques, maybe even in euros, but then you would be paying outrageous exchanges rates. Another enormous problem will be trying to find someone who will actually accept travelers cheques.

I am not so sure that Travelers cheques are better than carrying cash, as long as you are careful.

Here are a few places in Paris where you can exchange cash at the cost of 2-3% which is less than what many people pay when using their credit cards:

http://www.bureaudechange.fr/

http://www.ccopera.com/

http://www.fcochange.com/

Long story but I am told 7 to 10 business days for a card. (She is not young and does not have a bank account). She is going off to Ireland for a week or two after visiting with us in France and i hate to see her carry so much cash. I thought we could walk in and pre-load a cash card, but i can't find anyplace to sell that.(Does Amex or AAA?). They all seem to want an account first and then its just a debit card. My daughter did not want to open an account.

Get her an ATM card, one way or another. She's going to find it phenomenally frustrating to use those traveler's checks, and it will cost her/you a bundle to do so. You can't actually pay for anything with them; if you cash them at a bank (if a bank WILL even cash them), you'll pay a ridiculous commission; and she'll waste loads of vacation time.

First of all, how has your daughter managed her life so far without an ATM card? Does she go to a bank each time she needs to withdraw cash? (Just curious) Does she have a credit card? Can she charge most of the things in Ireland with CC, and pay the rest in cash? That way, she won't have to carry "loads of money" on her.

Visa sells some sort of pre-paid cards. I don't know if they can be obtained in person right away before you leave (in 2 days), though I'm pretty sure they charge a hefty fee and bad exchange rate:
http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/p...money_faq.html

You said "visiting with us" so I'm assuming you're married. Don't you and your spouse each have an ATM? Give your daughter one of yours and order a new one that you will have when you return home, if you need an extra.

Well, you have convinced me to try again. I will open new account, load it with her money and give her the card. (Fingers crossed).
YK - yes people do live all cash lives, no banks. In her case thanks to banks rushing to give her credit cards when she was barely 18, she has learned how and managed this way for over 5 years (that i know).

In answer to my own question, i think it better to carry TC denominated in $'s. Pay the exchange rate only one time IF you use it.

Actually, TCs aren't that hard to cash in France in major cities, but I don't know about Ireland, which is the goal. I'm sure she can get them at the American Express office, might as well go there.

HOwever, since you ask if it makes sense to buy them there instead of the US, I gather you have no objction to her carrying them around the entire trip. In which case, get them at home, why would you get them in France? Also, don't get them in euro, that makes no sense at all. I never get them in euro, get them in your native currency. I don't know why you are thinking they must or should be in euro, but they don't. She is going to have to get them cashed for the local currency in some bureau de change or place like that, anyway, and they will just as readily cash them in USD as euro (maybe even more likely). YOu will not get any better rate getting them in euro when they are used, you will pay to do that, and then if she doesn't use them, you will pay to convert them back. It's totally pointless.

We used travellers cheques in Europe about 3 years ago - Never Again! Many bansk would not cash them, so each time we needed money it was a long drawn out affair being sent from one bank to another until finally someone would cash them. Last trip we used ATM cards (linked to bank account) and also preloaded cash debit cards. Both were very easy - will definately do so again next trip.

AAA does have preloaded Visa cards (at least they do in the Seattle area). You can get the in Euros, but there are some extra charges involved. Could be worth checking out, but be sure to find out all the details.

Good luck!

Another option would be the Travellex Cash Passport. I have used this twice and quite liked it as an option. It looks like an ATM card and works in ATMs but it is a card that you just load up with money - available in a number of currencies - there are charges but probably no more than using your own credit card. There was a 1% fee for the initial cash load up and then it was about 2.20 euro per withrawal. It's worth checking - you just order it through your bank.

moral of the story.. open a bank account...get an ATM card..make life easy on yourselves...
living "cash lives" doesn't cut it in the modern world