Patrick--Were those lira traveler's checks AMEX, or another company? If they were AMEX checks, that would have been an unusual process for an AMEX office to go through.

By the way, AMEX TCs are still cashed free at AMEX offices world-wide. AMEX usually has a reasonable (not the best, not the worst) exchange rate.

In addition, AMEX has agreements with many banks world-wide to cash their TCs fee-free.

For instance, in Bamberg, Germany, it's:

Citibank Privatkunden AG & Co KGaA
2-4 Hain Str
96047
Telephone 49 951 982460

Of course, when all is said and done, the best way to go is with ATM cards and with Visa and MC charge cards from banks that don't charge anything in addition to the basic 1%.

Patrick :<They would cash those for me, but at a horrible rate into Swiss Francs, then exchange the Swiss francs into US dollars ->

My point was that Amex is the best T/C to use, if a person is going to use T/C.

Anytime you do a 3ed. country conversion you will get the shaft.

Rufus: spot on.

Personally, I use credit card for the big stuff and don't sweat the small stuff.

Happy travels

to trophywife: I like your name and I'm sure you are.

To answer Rufus, yes, those were American Express cheques we were looking to cash at an American Express office. Now admittedly that was at least 5 years ago and things may be different today, but at that time about half the value of the cheques was lost in the first conversion, and the other half was lost in the second. In both cases, the conversions were from or to Swiss francs, the local currency. So it was a big charge both for exchanging a foreign currency into the local currency, and for changing the local currency into a foreign one.

I'm still one to say that IF you MUST have TC's, get them at home in Euro as when you cash them you will get the exact face value for them, and you will also know what exchange rate you get when you buy them at home -- if the rate isn't good you don't have to buy them. But when in Europe and you NEED to cash one, you can't be picky about how many euro they decide to give you for a US dollar TC.

<b>If you have already acquired AAA traveler's checks</b>, you're in good shape.

Because you can use your debit card to get cash out of ATMs in Germany, and

<i>return the checks for what you paid for them upon your return</i>.

&quot;return the checks for what you paid for them upon your return.&quot;

Only true if they are US$ TCs. If they are &euro; TCs they will not get back the same amount they paid. There will be a conversion from &euro; back into $.

I don't think that's right. I refunded some &quot;mad money&quot; I carried to Europe and back in '03, and they gave me face value for them. I think probably they don't buy &euro; with your $ unless they have to (<i>i.e.</i>, unless they're cashed).

Robespierre, I've read that last comment of yours about a dozen times and I still don't get it.

I think what janis is saying and I agree 100% is that if you bought 500 euro in euroTCs in the US for a given amount of US dollars, when you sell them back to them, you will not get the same number of dollars you paid for them. They will have charged you an exchange rate when you bought them, and another one when you sell them back.

If you bought US TCs in the US and then sell those back, yes you will get full face value or exactly what you paid for them (if you got them at AAA or somewhere that doesn't charge you a fee to buy or sell them).

Of course, I've never understood the idea of bringing home any unused euro TCs. Just put all of what you have left on your final hotel bill or spend them the last day you are there.

I bought &euro;1000 and &pound;1000 to have with me in case my ATM cards (that I had never tested) didn't do what I wanted them to. The ATM worked, and I returned the TCs to AAA upon my return, receiving back exactly what I paid for them.

Rufus - assuming for a moment you are right that there is no buy/sell exchange rate loss (which I don't, but just for the sake of argument) - - -

&quot;upon my return, receiving back exactly what I paid for them.&quot; How could that be possible unless the banks rates were exactly the same after your trip as before. Since the rates fluctuate everyday, this isn't likely.

But back to my premise - every time I've checked, buying and selling $, &pound;, &euro; have always been at different rates.

Patrick...A bit harsh on trophywife. I think she is asking a sincere question. Here in Canada and the US I use them all the time and feel safe using TC's. I was unaware of the fact that in Europe they would be hard to use.

Thanks for the usefull information. I like trophywife are seeking info from the people in the know but don't want to be made to feel bad...Just my 2 cents worth.

janis--check AMEX web site. It is very clearly stated there.

Photobear: torphywife said &quot;Any insight you can give us is sincerely appreciated.&quot;

She asked for insight and we gave it to her. TC's are practically obsolete except in some rare situations. They are a REAL pain. Hopefully she isn't so sensitive that our &quot;insight&quot; scares her off. We are only trying to make their trip easier . . . . . .

Suggestion: Do a search for the German city or cities you will visit. Many sites will have the exact information you want and it will be timely.

TCs, They can be replaced if lost or stolen! Cash is gone.

I've been to Europe three times, and I've never used travelers checks. There are ATMs everywhere, and they give you very competitive rates. As long as you use your ATM card and not a credit card, you don't have to pay the finance charge or interest. If you're worried about theft, just take out 50 euros at a time. For larger purchases like fancy dinners and hotels, they can be placed on your credit card.

Unless your bank offers free international ATM withdrawls, I would not recommend to take just 50 euro at a time. Since my bank charges a fee per transaction, I take my daily maximum (300USD worth) each time. 50 euro isn't going to get you very far!!

<b>janis</b>

FYI, I am posting a link to the Travelex page where their <b>Buy Back Plus</b> product is described. As you can see, the fee is listed as $5, but AAA waives that.

So, if you want to speculate in currencies... ;)

<b>http://www.travelex.com/usa/personal/buyback.asp?content=bb</b>