travellers checks

Melissa5 · Guru

travellers checks

Michele Erdvig · Host

Melissa,

I get my back up traveler's checks at AAA because they are free to members. No problems cashing them in. I generally try to get $100 checks because if you do cash them in there are less of them to sign (if you had $20s you would have to sign 5 to equal $100). If you have to use them you will need to go to a bank and change them to euros. You need to take your passport as ID. There is a charge. It is possible that some hotels and some shops (Belleek Factory) will take them but the exchange rate would be crummy.

Michele

Melissa5 · Guru

Thanks, Michele, that's what I'll do too. I'll get my traveller's checks from AAA in $100 denominations.

Creativitychick · Member

We didn't take trav. checks. I took some cash and had it exchanged there. But mostly I used ATM machines and paid for dinners with plastic. We had no problem finding ATM machines. I would get $100, or $150 euro at a time- so as not to have too much cash on me. The fees my bank charged for the ATM were less than the banks down the street from my house! My ATM card worked fine (and it's from a credit union, strictly ATM not Visa ATM!) We came home with $25 euro left over, which isn't too bad, and my kids enjoyed seeing the money.

Just my 2 cents- I wouldn't even bother with the checks. It's just one more detail to deal with.

L

Shawn · Senior Member

Creativity Chick,

Is there a problem with Visa ATM cards? (through Bank of America)

thanks,

Shawn

Melissa5 · Guru

Thanks everybody for your input. I went ahead and got travellers checks, both Visa and American Express travellers checks (free through my bank and through AAA.) Even if we don't need them, I can spend them at home when we return.

This way I won't have to panic if our ATM cards didn't work. (In Italy we had 3 ATM cards, and only 1 of them worked throughout the entire trip. Since we had 5 people with us, with a limit of about $300 euros per day on one card, this wasn't enough cash and it made things more difficult.) Two of our guides wanted to be paid in cash for example.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Shawn,

There is no problem with Visa ATM cards. Creativitychick just mentioned that hers was associated with a credit union not Visa. Don't worry you are fine.

Michele

Shawn · Senior Member

Thanks Michele.