Using up old travellers checks in Italy
Apr 18th, 2008, 10:12 PM
#21
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If they are American Express TC, you can find "Fee-Free Exchange Partners":
http://www210.americanexpress.com/tc...;us_nu=leftnav
There are Amex offices in Roma, Venezia, and Firenze. However, Amex has been closing their offices in Europe over the past few years, and these informations are not updated on their website. Your best bet is to go to one of those banks listed as "Fee-Free Exchange Partners".
http://www210.americanexpress.com/tc...;us_nu=leftnav
There are Amex offices in Roma, Venezia, and Firenze. However, Amex has been closing their offices in Europe over the past few years, and these informations are not updated on their website. Your best bet is to go to one of those banks listed as "Fee-Free Exchange Partners".
Apr 19th, 2008, 04:09 AM
#22
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Janis, my personal experience in Italy and France has been giving TCs in Euro to perhaps a total of 10 people or businesses over the past 5 or 6 years. ALL of those said there was no charge from their bank to deposit them into their bank accounts and I certainly have NO reason not to believe them, as none of those people charged me anything to do so. Just this past summer, the apartment owners in Rome, Paris, and Venice -- all told me initailly they didn't think there was a problem for them to take TCs in Euro and there would be no fee. (This was for the purpose of mailing deposits in advance.) All three of them checked with their banks and all three of them got back to me, that yes, there was no fee for them to deposit them so they all accepted them. On my arrival all three confirmed that they had not been charged anything by their banks.
How many have you PERSONALLY been told by the people you tried to give them to that they would be charged to deposit them? Or how many of those actually tried it (rather than just assuming because they had never done it, or didn't want to be bothered and would prefer cash?) Or how many TCs in Euro have you PERSONALLY used (not to exchange or cash) but used in full to pay someone? How many of those actually charged you a fee?
Yea, I've been "told" by others that it would cost, but in most or all of those cases it was not by people who actually did it or knew. That's not unlike the people here who constantly say that ATM cards used in Europe will result in the European bank charging you a fee, or your own bank adding 10%. As you well know, what we "hear" they do, and what they actually do can often be two very different things. And I strongly suspect, part of the confusion comes about because some people HAVE been charged -- but because their TCs were in dollars, not euros -- so of course there was a fee and/or exchange fee involved.
I still find it hard to understand why a bank in France or Italy WOULD charge someone to deposit a TC in their own currency into their own bank account, since there is no charge to them. If I were a business there and people wanted to use TCs, I'd surely get a new bank as there are plenty of them that won't charge for depositing them -- if they are already in Euros. But my statements above are not based on what I "think" rather what my personal experience has actually revealed.
How many have you PERSONALLY been told by the people you tried to give them to that they would be charged to deposit them? Or how many of those actually tried it (rather than just assuming because they had never done it, or didn't want to be bothered and would prefer cash?) Or how many TCs in Euro have you PERSONALLY used (not to exchange or cash) but used in full to pay someone? How many of those actually charged you a fee?
Yea, I've been "told" by others that it would cost, but in most or all of those cases it was not by people who actually did it or knew. That's not unlike the people here who constantly say that ATM cards used in Europe will result in the European bank charging you a fee, or your own bank adding 10%. As you well know, what we "hear" they do, and what they actually do can often be two very different things. And I strongly suspect, part of the confusion comes about because some people HAVE been charged -- but because their TCs were in dollars, not euros -- so of course there was a fee and/or exchange fee involved.
I still find it hard to understand why a bank in France or Italy WOULD charge someone to deposit a TC in their own currency into their own bank account, since there is no charge to them. If I were a business there and people wanted to use TCs, I'd surely get a new bank as there are plenty of them that won't charge for depositing them -- if they are already in Euros. But my statements above are not based on what I "think" rather what my personal experience has actually revealed.
Apr 19th, 2008, 07:05 AM
#26
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Good. Care to give one -- that we can follow? I had tried to google and got nowhere. I've even gone to the official Deutschebank website and tried to search "fees for deposits" and "travelers checks" and got nowhere, so I'd appreciate seeing the actual link to the information.
That's interesting, because it would be next to impossible to find in writing on any US bank website, "we do not charge to deposit US dollar TCs in your own checking account". In fact, I'd be amazed if such information ever was printed on any US bank site.
That's interesting, because it would be next to impossible to find in writing on any US bank website, "we do not charge to deposit US dollar TCs in your own checking account". In fact, I'd be amazed if such information ever was printed on any US bank site.
Apr 19th, 2008, 07:15 AM
#27
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You need to google for "Preisverzeichnis" a zillion links from different banks will show up, there you search for "Reisescheck". You fill find "Rücknahme" which means checks sold to you personally by the bank. You'll also find fees for accepting other TCs that range between free (a few banks) and 7.50€ per check.
Apr 19th, 2008, 07:25 AM
#28
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This is a rather cheap bank (Raiffeisen):
http://www.rb-freinsheim.de/gwm5/webdbs/yc0550.nsf/(GrafikAnhaenge)/134020%20Preisverzeichnis.pdf/$File/134020%20Preisverzeichnis.pdf
1.50€ per check, but at least 5€ per transaction. The list goes on...
http://www.rb-freinsheim.de/gwm5/webdbs/yc0550.nsf/(GrafikAnhaenge)/134020%20Preisverzeichnis.pdf/$File/134020%20Preisverzeichnis.pdf
1.50€ per check, but at least 5€ per transaction. The list goes on...
Apr 19th, 2008, 07:46 AM
#30
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As suspected, not being fluent in German doesn't help me. The only reference to "Rücknahme von Reiseschecks" on that page you linked was "__%" and "__euro". So clearly I can't follow.
But at least you do say that some (or a "few"
banks don't charge to deposit them in Germany. And my experience has been that QUITE A FEW in Italy and France don't charge. . . so the option remains -- it's sure worth a try!!! And since MANY hotels in Europe do take credit cards and doing so charges them upwards of 3% -- it stands to reason that even if their bank does charge them a small fee for depositing euro TC's, they won't charge YOU, since it is still less than they'd pay for accepting a credit card. Logical???
But at least you do say that some (or a "few"
banks don't charge to deposit them in Germany. And my experience has been that QUITE A FEW in Italy and France don't charge. . . so the option remains -- it's sure worth a try!!! And since MANY hotels in Europe do take credit cards and doing so charges them upwards of 3% -- it stands to reason that even if their bank does charge them a small fee for depositing euro TC's, they won't charge YOU, since it is still less than they'd pay for accepting a credit card. Logical???
Apr 19th, 2008, 08:11 AM
#32
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In any case, danielef, please let us know how you DO use them. And it would be nice, even if you've already spent them to ask at your hotel/hotels if they would charge to accept TCs in Euro for payment without a fee. It would be nice to get back more actual true experiences instead of all the "I heard".
