Traveller's checks

[solisgirl]

We'll need cash ( USD ) to pay for private tours when we go on our south American cruise next year. I'm thinking of getting travelers checks to avoid carrying too much cash, does anyone knows if Princess would cash them to USD. Thanks.

[paul929207]

Yes, you can cash US$ travelers check at the front desk

[Pam in CA]

We'll need cash ( USD ) to pay for private tours when we go on our south American cruise next year. I'm thinking of getting travelers checks to avoid carrying too much cash, does anyone knows if Princess would cash them to USD. Thanks.

Yes.

 

What I do now instead of traveler's checks is bring $50 bills and keep them in the safe. The reason is that while I can get traveler's checks cashed on a ship, fewer places accept them. I had a terrible time using traveler's checks at AAA where you'd expect it to be snap. They literally didn't know how to process them, i.e., as a check or cash. That was a real eye-opener.

[Loonbeam]

And very few places will take them in ports outside the US now..

 

The only issue with the ship cashing them is a possible low level of cash at some point, so make sure you have some more liquid funds

[FritzG]

The only place we ever use traveler's checks is for cruising. Since we usually spend a couple of days in the embarkation port pre-cruise we don't like to carry a lot of cash. We take traveler's checks and once we're onboard we keep them in the safe and cash them at the purser's desk as needed. We get them free from our bank, so after our trip we just redeposit them into our account or save them if we have another trip booked.

 

I agree that they aren't used very much anymore, but they're very convenient for cruising. In fact, even the bank teller had to read the directions the last time we purchased them because she had never sold them in the 4 years she had worked at the bank.

[snowmc]

Traveler's checks are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Most people use ATM cards now for easy access to cash in foreign countries....easier to use and better exchange rates. OR they obtain a preloaded cash card (AAA has one but I have never used it). The last time I used traveler's checks (and this was 8 years ago), we have a terrible time finding someone who would cash them. Even banks had no idea what to do. We finally had to find an American Express office to cash them.

[caribill]

Traveler's checks are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Most people use ATM cards now for easy access to cash in foreign countries....easier to use and better exchange rates. OR they obtain a preloaded cash card (AAA has one but I have never used it). The last time I used traveler's checks (and this was 8 years ago), we have a terrible time finding someone who would cash them. Even banks had no idea what to do. We finally had to find an American Express office to cash them.

 

OP wants to cash them onboard the ship, so difficulty in using them elsewhere does not matter.

 

A preloaded cash card is not a good substitute in most cases. It cannot be used to get cash at the purser's desk and if used onshore would only get local currency when US$ may be what you need.

[snowmc]

OP wants to cash them onboard the ship, so difficulty in using them elsewhere does not matter.

 

A preloaded cash card is not a good substitute in most cases. It cannot be used to get cash at the purser's desk and if used onshore would only get local currency when US$ may be what you need.

 

There is an ATM machine on most ships. They can use that to obtain US currency.

[caribill]

There is an ATM machine on most ships. They can use that to obtain US currency.

 

 

And pay a $6.50 "convenience" charge each time they use it.

[Coral]

The only place we ever use traveler's checks is for cruising. Since we usually spend a couple of days in the embarkation port pre-cruise we don't like to carry a lot of cash. We take traveler's checks and once we're onboard we keep them in the safe and cash them at the purser's desk as needed. We get them free from our bank, so after our trip we just redeposit them into our account or save them if we have another trip booked.

 

.

 

I still use them for cruising and only cruising. Surprisingly, it works great for this and have never had a problem. At the end of the trip, what I have left, I usually get cash for the trip home and use the others towards the bill or once I get home, I deposit them into my account.

 

I am one who hates carrying around large amounts of cash. I will continue using them for cruising.

[AKman2495]

I gave up using them 20 years ago. I was in New York and none of the stores wanted to anything with them. I went to bank and cashed them all there and have never bought another one.

 

So much for "don't leave home without them".....

 

I guess with credit cards and ATM's they are obsolete...but then so are telegrams and many other remnants of the 20th century....

[solisgirl]

Thanks everyone for your input. am glad we only need to bring USD to cover pre-cruise transfers and tours. Will bring travelers checks that we'll cash onboard the ship as needed.

[echotumi]

at the end when we dont have any need for them i use it for the balance of my on board acct i find them great for cruises :)

[Winters in NZ]

Too many businesses will not accept travellers' cheques...as my experiences in both Canada and the USA will attest.

 

We get some cash for tips, transportation and out of the way shops, but credit/debit cards have never failed us...just bring a couple of different ones, just in case.

[FritzG]

Too many businesses will not accept travellers' cheques...as my experiences in both Canada and the USA will attest.

 

We get some cash for tips, transportation and out of the way shops, but credit/debit cards have never failed us...just bring a couple of different ones, just in case.

 

Since we get ours for no charge, and we only use them onboard to get cash, they are better than an ATM which charges a fee. We leave them in the safe until we cash them so they're safer than a credit card we take onshore, too. I agree that they're almost useless onshore, but for cruising they're very useful.

[caribill]

Too many businesses will not accept travellers' cheques...as my experiences in both Canada and the USA will attest.

 

Over a decade ago I had some left over Travelers' Checks and went to the bank I had bought them at to turn in for cash.

 

The bank would not accept them. I was told their agreement with American Express was to sell them, but they were not required to accept them.

[icat2000]

I didn't even know that Travellers Checks still existed. I haven't used them since 1988. Even back then it was a pain to get them changed. Do people still use checkbooks? I haven't had one for over 15 years.

[DrivesLikeMario]

There is an ATM machine on most ships. They can use that to obtain US currency.

 

There's also a currency machine on some ships and BOTH of these machines are notorious for being out of order.

 

Don't get travelers' cheques. No one uses them anymore. It's like writing paper checks at home - totally archaic. Bring larger bills and break them down at the purser's desk, have your ATM card with you for getting cash when in port and a credit card or two and you're good to go. ;)

 

BTW - there's a great discount on air for So. America cruises even if you've already booked the cruise. See the Princess website for details.

[WpgCruise]

I think having some Travelers' Checks with you on a cruise is a great idea. As long as the Pursers Desk will cash them, the argument that the on shore merchants won't is moot.

 

It is not unknown for the on board ATM to be out of communication with the host, thereby making them wonderful ornaments. Having the Travelers' Checks is a very valid option to carrying too much cash, or depending on ATM's that might or might not work.

[JimmyVWine]

 

Don't get travelers' cheques. No one uses them anymore....

 

...except the guest services desk onboard Princess cruise ships which is where the OP wants to use them. As long as one wants to cash them on the ship and use them no where else, what's the issue? They are still the safest form of "currency" in terms of theft or loss. Granted, the number of places that will cash them is dwindling, but as long as PCL ships continue to cash them and someone wants to bring them on a cruise with the exclusive intent of crashing them there, what could possibly be the reason for recommending against that?

[sminfiddle]

I think having some Travelers' Checks with you on a cruise is a great idea. As long as the Pursers Desk will cash them, the argument that the on shore merchants won't is moot.

 

It is not unknown for the on board ATM to be out of communication with the host, thereby making them wonderful ornaments. Having the Travelers' Checks is a very valid option to carrying too much cash, or depending on ATM's that might or might not work.

 

Yes.

Ship's ATM charges the largest fee I have ever seen.

You can load money from your Credit Card into a Casino machine, play a bit and then cash out. We needed some additional cash for the next day's private excursion so we did just that -

BUT 1) the credit card itself charges interest and 2) I was fortunate to be ahead by 67 cents when I cashed out. No guarantee you won't lose money to the house!

(Cash out without playing and you find your casino account closed so you can't do it twice)

 

"Casino credit" bought in advance is a decent source of cash, but again there's interest on the credit card used to buy it.

You get a receipt in your room that you take to the Cashier at the casino.

 

If no-fee traveler's cheques are available, it seems to be the ideal way to have access to cash on board without risk.

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

[Coral]

...except the guest services desk onboard Princess cruise ships which is where the OP wants to use them. As long as one wants to cash them on the ship and use them no where else, what's the issue? They are still the safest form of "currency" in terms of theft or loss. Granted, the number of places that will cash them is dwindling, but as long as PCL ships continue to cash them and someone wants to bring them on a cruise with the exclusive intent of crashing them there, what could possibly be the reason for recommending against that?

 

This is why I still use them. I just don't feel comfortable taking a lot of cash with me. At home, I rarely have more then $20 with me and most of the time, I don't have anything. The last thing I want to do is bring $500 plus with me in cash on a trip (depending on the trip). I only cash them on the ship.

[pablo222]

"Casino credit" bought in advance is a decent source of cash, but again there's interest on the credit card used to buy it.

 

I thought casino credit was like any other onboard-gift purchase,

a charge, not a cash advance.

[sminfiddle]

I thought casino credit was like any other onboard-gift purchase,

a charge, not a cash advance.

 

Yes! You order it from Princess before the cruise and you are charged for it. You pay with a credit card or debit card over the phone. Like the other gift purchases.

The casino Cashier keeps the cash safely behind those bars for you until you come up to her and claim it. You need your Cruise Card and the 'gift card' that is placed in your room. They will have you on a list.

What you do with it afterwards is your business.

[pablo222]

Yes! You order it from Princess before the cruise and you are charged for it. You pay with a credit card or debit card over the phone. Like the other gift purchases.

The casino Cashier keeps the cash safely behind those bars for you until you come up to her and claim it. You need your Cruise Card and the 'gift card' that is placed in your room. They will have you on a list.

What you do with it afterwards is your business.

 

...so as long as simply pay my credit card bill, there would be no interest?

 

(as opposed to a cash advance which starts accruing interest immediatly)

 

I am thinking that I might need additional cash on an upcoming

cruise, and this would be an easy way to have it available onboard.