John_W

I have performed a search on Fodors, and haven't found any info on these cards. Has anyone used either the AAA passport card or the Amex travelerfunds card?

The passport card costs $USD2.00 to make an ATM withdrawl, can be used at Visa ATMs and at stores on the Interlink system. The Amex card charges a fee as well, don't recall what the fee is off-hand; their card can be used at ATMs and stores that accept the American Express card. There is also a fee to preload the card with a minimum dollar amount as established by the card issuer.

They do seem more convenient than traditional traveler's checks, but are the extra fees worth it?

Also I am wondering if anyone has used either of these cards to get cash at an ATM while traveling abroad; do you get assessed any fee for the currency exchange besides the ATM fee?

Sorry for the long post, and thanks for any info. John

GoTravel

I don't have a need to use this because I use either my Visa, AmEx, or an ATM/Check Card.

Patrick

Yea, guess they're more convenient that traveler's checks -- what isn't?

But I can't imagine why I'd want to use one, when I can use my own ATM card without a fee, and use my regular credit cards where I get a delay of up to about 6 or 7 weeks before I have to pay them rather than pay in advance.

Maybe they'd be practical for people who can't get a credit card for some reason??

Patty

I looked into the Amex travel funds card a little while ago and couldn't see the point. Perhaps they're a good idea for parents to give to their kids, but I can't see what purpose they serve for anyone who has credit/ATM cards.

FainaAgain

Never heard of prepaid cash cards, but as a mother I must say it's a great idea for sending children on a trip, for giving them as a gift to somebody leaving for vacation, and it's better then a gift certificate - can be used anywhere!

Patrick

I guess I'm from a different era. I'd rather give a kid his own credit card tied to mine and allow him a certain amount he can charge on it. I think that's a better way to teach responsibility instead of saying, "here's a card, use it till it runs out."

But this comes from a guy who was given his own checking account at the age of 12. My $2.00 a week allowance went into it plus birthday gift money and the bits I earned doing special jobs, and I wrote my own checks for things. I'm not sure banks even allow such things for 12 year olds these days, but it sure was a good lesson in economics for me.

travelinwifey

If you do a search on the Europe boards the subject has been brought up before. I purchased the AAA travelex cash card for my parents when going to Italy last year.Very convenient and easy to use. It worked just fine. Their ATM card, though was another story. Our bank cancelled their card 4 months after return without warning because "the card had been compromized." It took them 2 weeks to get a replacement card. The lady at my bank said this happened to about 15 people that traveled to Italy the same time as my parents.

Underhill

That last post points up the advantage of the cash card over the ATM card: there's no link to your checking account.

Scarlett

Our son lives in Japan and it is sometimes really difficult to think of a good gift to send to Japan (postage) and that he can use (difference in voltage,,sizes, etc)..he has an Am Ex card for emergencies but that is not quite the same as a gift you can wrap and send in the mail.
So we bought an American Express Travel Card for the minimum amount and sent it to him in a Birthday card this year.
Today he wrote and told us about the great stuff that we got him for his birthday.
He can also get cash out with the card if he is in need of money ..which comes in handy when taking trains in small towns in rural Japan where they don't have any sort of ATM or bank.

Patrick

If I lose my ATM card or someone steals it, my bank protects me fully from losing even a penny.

If I lose the prepaid card or someone steals it, do I have that same protection, or is the money gone?

Scarlett

Yes, Patrick, the AMEX Travel card is fully protected.

Scarlett

*This is from the Am Ex site*
Immediately report a lost or stolen Card to Customer Service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The TravelFunds Card provides similar refund service as Travelers Cheques. As with Travelers Cheques, terms and conditions apply.

American Express will replace the remaining funds on your Card at the time the Card is lost or stolen, usually within 24 hours or send a replacement Card to the address on record.
The Card will arrive within 5-8 business days. If your Card has been used, or funds debited by unauthorized persons when it was outside of your possession, you can also submit a claim to receive a refund of those lost/stolen amounts. American Express will research your refund claim and respond, usually within 10 days.

travelinwifey

Sorry I spelled compromised incorrectly. The main reason I purchased the AAA travelex card is because it was insured if lost or stolen. Our bank account was also protected, it was just a hassle waiting for the new ATM card to arrive. I would use the AAA card again for my parents since they are not as experienced traveling but probably not for myself.

ziggy

I used traverlers checques on my last trip in December (as I always do). I went to my local bank to get them and the teller, while filling my request, made small talk with me to the effect that "you know nobody really uses these things anymore." I was thinking at the time, you know she's right - they are a bit of a hassle but have come in very handy at times.

John_W thanks for posting this topic. I had never heard of them, but will certainly follow this thread and check AAA for more information.

Thanks,

zig

GoTravel

There was an article in the Conde Nast Traveler about how hard it was to get travelers checks replaced if they had been stolen.

From the tone of the article, unless you have your travelers checks under lock and key at all times, the small print keeps Am Ex from having to replace travelers checks if they are stolen. Very few people do get replacements because the issuer gets to decide whether or not you get them replaces.

I think it was an Obudsman and some guy lost/had stolen around $11,000 and Am Ex would not replace these travelers checks.

J_Correa

So the AMEX traveler's check cards take 5-8 days to replace if stolen? That doesn't make them any more convinient than an ATM card.

John_W

Thanks everyone for all the comments. I never even thought to search the Europe board...duh.

My logic in acquiring one of these cash cards was to supplement my ATM & CC cards. I thought it could be a better method to get cash once I've arrived at my foreign destination, and not run into withdrawl/time constraints of my ATM card (ie $300 maximum withdrawl in a 24-hour period). I don't have to carry as much foreign currency on me while in transit, and I would avoid the fleecing given to me for exchanging currency at my local bank!

Also I wanted to know about foreign currency exchange fees when using a cash card, the europe board answered that question.

I see that MBNA is planning to issue Amex CC's along with the Visa CC they've offered for so long. I have been very satisfied with MBNA, however I am concerned that their level of service will suffer, and that they'll
start charging more/higher fees for certain transactions. Hope I am wrong.

Scarlett

We were more concerned about how to get money to someone as a gift when they are in a country that does not use banking(travelers checks,personal checks) the way we do in the US..so AMEX worked for us .

platzman

I thought about getting one of those pre-paid Amex cards as a back-up to my regular atm card. But after considering the pros and cons, I decided its just not worth the trouble. If I need a back-up, I'll just bring an extra credit card which of course is not tied to my regular bank account and comes with all the protection and cash advance possibilities. As far as prepaid cards replacing TCs? ATMs and CCs did that years ago.

Patrick

While in New York for just a couple days enroute to Europe last year, my partner discovered he must have left his ATM card in a machine. We called BankofAmerica. They send a replacement card to us at our New York Hotel which we received within 24 hours. I said to the girl I was glad we hadn't already left for Europe. She informed me that yes, that would have been a bigger problem as it usually takes two days to get the replacement card there. Still sounds quicker than a replacement for the cash cards.