Can debit cards be used in locations far from your local bank without exeception? What is the best way to handle money for a two week trip, debit, charge or travelers checks? Debit would seem the easiest but I was concerned that some merchants might not accept them.

Linda - One thing to keep in mind with debit cards is that if it gets stolen, the thief has a direct line to all the cash in your bank account and can clean you out. With credit cards and travellers checks, you're protected a lot more against theft. Write down your travellers check numbers and keep them in a separate place, and you can get them back easily from AmEx if you lose them. With credit cards, if someone takes one and runs up huge charges, you're only liable for $50 and it's the credit card co's money - not your bank account! I think that's a really important distinction. I do have a debit card but rarely use it for all those reasons.

Hope that helps! Have a great trip.

That's absolutely correct (about the risk of debit cards). Check with your bank - they may be able to set you up with a debit card that works ONLY at ATM's and requires a password. The type of debit card now commonly issued and used may also be used as a credit card (meaning only a signature is required and I almost never see anyone checking the signature to see if it matches).

HI Linda. I don't like debit cards for the reasons mentioned above. I have carried one to Europe because in the past it has worked with ATM machines when my standard ATM card failed.
But it was the sort of situation where I put the card next to my passport and never took it out other than to obtain currency.

We just got back from a lengthy US trip and we used credit cards and travelers checks extensively. Motels, rental cars, gas stations and restaurants all accepted our credit cards.

I think on this trip I began to realize just how widely credit cards are accepted in the US. Stores like K Mart, Walmart, "Quick and Jiffy" gas stations,
chain super markets, restaurants, even some fast food places, all seem to take credit cards these days. So I would leave the debit card at home and rely on credit cards and travelers checks.

I did take my standard ATM along, but we never used it.

One factor in my thinking was that I can get my travelers checks at no additional cost. When I get home, I convert the TCs to spending money.

PS. Also you will find that credit cards are virtually a fixed requirement if you rent a car.

When we went to Europe, our bank provided us with an ATM debit card. If you have that and a credit card, I see no reason to carry travelers checks, especially if you have to pay for them.

Well, there a few good reasons I can think of to have an emergency reserve of travelers checks.

What if the ATM network is down and your card does not work at any bank in area? It has happened. At the airport in Zurich once I wanted to make a few purchases before taking a train to Interlaken. The ATM at the branch bank was not working, but the teller at the window was!! Unfortunately, he didn't take ATM cards!!
The store where I wanted to make the purchase was a food store and it did not take credit cards, only Swiss currency.
Without a travelers check I would have had no way to get any money and make my purchase.

A traveler was on a remote island off the coast of Greece. His ATM card would not work; neither would his debit card. TCs to the rescue!

I admit these instances are rare.
And I have carried some of the same checks to Europe more than once because I never had a need for them. But, even if the failure rate is .5%, when it happens to you the chances are 100%

And credit cards don't always work either!! Once in a small restaurant in Paris, the head waiter (only one) came back and communicated that my credit card did not work. Seems like his machine rejected it and he thought it was a bad card. (He spoke two words of English while waving my credit card: "No good.") My wife got up to go to a bank not far away and get real money. When she did, the waiter was about to cause a real scene because he thought we were skipping out, even though I was still seated. I don't know how near he was to calling the police, but he was getting very upset, and loud. (At least the chef did not come out waving a meat cleaver.) In desperation, I pulled out a $100 travelers check and handed it to him.
(The $100 was much more than the total bill.) He seemed satisfied as long as I and the check stayed as hostages while my wife went to get local currency.
(She kept referring to it as my bail bond.)

Plastic is great, but there are times when the folding dough is the only way to go.

You must have lousy banks. My bank offers the same protection against illegal use on my debit card as credit card companies do. I use it for everything, and rarely carry cash.

If you're traveling in the US, virtually every store (but not all, of course) will take your debit card, assuming it has a Visa/MC symbol on it.

A word of advice shared with me by a bank employee about debit card use (in the use - not sure if this is applicable in Europe). When an automated machine (e.g. a gas pump) has the option of debit or credit, always choose credit even when using a debit card. Some merchants have begun levying an "EFT" charge (electreonic funds transfer) on purchases. When I first began using my debit card I noticed some 25 and 50 cent charges ont he first statement - the bank explained what these were and the service person was kind enough to mention that the card swiping machines do not know the difference. The only time you need to specify that it's a debit card is if you need additional cash above the cost of the purchase (which some stores allow). I use my debit card everywhere as a credit card, even when it says "no debot cards" and I have never had a problem doing so.