Using Euro Travelers Checks
 

I was wondering if there is a charge for using traveler's checks in that country's currency? I understand that there are some fees when changing a check for cash, but is there a fee to use it at the shops or restaurants? Any help would be greatly appreciated. - Kari

Very few restaurants, hotels and shops in Europe accept traveller's cheques. You will have to change them into real money at a bank or exchange office.<BR>TCs are an instrument of the last century. Use credit card for larger payments and debit/ATM card for cash withdrawals.

Kari: Euro travelers checks are not a convenience. Use your ATM card to get cash and a credit card for major purchases/hotels. Most small restaurants, B&Bs, shops will not accept travelers checks so as Sjoerd says, you will end up having to stand in line at a bank and pay a fee to convert them.

Kari<BR>What the previous posters have said was true in our case. I had to stand in line at a local bank and cash my euro travels checks because no one would accept them. I did not want to cash them all at once so I had to do it three times.

I agree absolutely with the previous posters. This last March my hotel in Austria refused to accept my travelers checks (in Euros) at all, and my hotel in Germany was prepared to accept them only with a fee of 5 Euro per check (they were in 100's, so that's a hit of 5%). I ended up bringing them all back to the States where my bank was only too happy to whack me (again) for the exchange rate to redeposit them as dollars. They're dinosaurs - never again.

Thanks everyone for your responses! I'm definitely going to use my ATM card to withdraw cash. I never knew that traveler's checks were that inconvenient!

Now that we've all talked you out of travelers checks (which is a good decision) make sure that you have (a) enough money in your account to cover all eventualities, (b) a 4-digit PIN for European machines and (c) if you can talk your bank out of it, a "spare" card in case your usual card gets scratched or damaged somehow. Have a great trip!