Traveller's Checks

[taxjam]

Does Oceania still cash US Dollar denominated traveller's checks on its ships?

[Flatbush Flyer]

Does Oceania still cash US Dollar denominated traveller's checks on its ships?

 

 

The better question is: who still carries them?

 

 

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[Mura]

Agreed. Our local stores that cashed traveler's checks 10-20 years ago no longer do so ... and I think even the banks do not! (And we are in metropolitan NYC.)

 

When we traveled through France in 2002-2003, when the Euro was new, we purchased traveler's checks payable in Euros. At smaller establishments -- even then -- say smaller hotels, gas stations, that kind of place -- they were not accepted.

 

It's a very long time since we've used Travelers' checks since ATMS are usually available. Just don't use a credit card to get cash, use a debit card.

 

Mura

[StanandJim]

Does Oceania still cash US Dollar denominated traveller's checks on its ships?

 

Yes they do, at the front desk and also at the cage in the Casino.

[taxjam]

The better question is: who still carries them?

 

 

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Flatbush Flyer.

 

Thanks for your snarky reply. Why waste everyone's time showing your lack of financial acumen? If you booked $2,000 of private tours payable in US Dollars and don't want to carry excess cash, travelers checks while obviously retro, but which many banks give you free, might be a good idea.

 

Jim & Stan,

 

Thanks.

[Floridiana]

taxjam,

 

Luckily Oceania takes them.

We had trouble with our last traveler's checks in Australia and New Zealand. The banks that would take them wanted a steep fee. We finally gave in and the young lady in the bank had to get help from an older colleague. She had never seen traveler's checks.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Flatbush Flyer.

 

Thanks for your snarky reply. Why waste everyone's time showing your lack of financial acumen? If you booked $2,000 of private tours payable in US Dollars and don't want to carry excess cash, travelers checks while obviously retro, but which many banks give you free, might be a good idea.

 

Jim & Stan,

 

Thanks.

 

 

Hardly snarky. Travelers' Cheques can be lost, stolen and refused, not to mention what can be hefty exchange rate for different currency.

 

For acquiring currency, bank card (or debit but never credit card) in the hands of each member of your party (for emergency) gets local cash from bank ATMs quickly and often with cheapest exchange rate.

 

Interestingly, I found a couple of fairly old TCs in my carry-on when on Regatta in Alaska this past summer. Young O reception person was a bit perplexed having never seen those particular ones before. Manager OKed cashing them.

 

 

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[taxjam]

Lost or stolen travelers checks can be replaced. Assuming the cruise line will exchange US Dollar travelers checks for US Dollars at a 1 to 1 ratio, which Oceania has done in the past, they are the best way to avoid carrying several thousand dollars in cash. My "snarky" criticism was directed at the fact that my question had a simple yes or no answer and didn't call for extraneous, unsolicited advice.

 

Admittedly, ATM no fee cards are best for local currency, but you typically can't get US Dollars. Also, there are a lot of bank card scams which means you must use caution especially if you haven't researched the subject.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Lost or stolen travelers checks can be replaced. Assuming the cruise line will exchange US Dollar travelers checks for US Dollars at a 1 to 1 ratio, which Oceania has done in the past, they are the best way to avoid carrying several thousand dollars in cash. My "snarky" criticism was directed at the fact that my question had a simple yes or no answer and didn't call for extraneous, unsolicited advice.

 

Admittedly, ATM no fee cards are best for local currency, but you typically can't get US Dollars. Also, there are a lot of bank card scams which means you must use caution especially if you haven't researched the subject.

 

TC replacement may require overnight shipping or, at least, trip to partner bank (if you can find one). Tough logistics in a cruise setting. Two cards kept separate allows you to get local cash while providing some insurance. And no excursion will refuse their own currency.

 

 

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Edited January 6, 2015 by Flatbush Flyer

[Hambagahle]

TC replacement may require overnight shipping or, at least, trip to partner bank (if you can find one). Tough logistics in a cruise setting. Two cards kept separate allows you to get local cash while providing some insurance. And no excursion will refuse their own currency.

 

 

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Oh yes they can! Refuse their own currency I mean... our private guide in St Petersburg made it very very clear to us that she wanted to be paid in USD and in CASH. I had no option but to travel with several thousand USD in my wallet. Fortunately for me all went well.

 

TC's are dinosaurs in Switzerland. It is a long and complicated process to get a bank to cash them. Shops, restaurants etc do not take them. Here we use ATM cards to get cash but since there is no ATM on the ship it is nice to know that the Reception will cash the TCs for those who have them.

 

I think it was a perfectly legitimate question... the Reception will also change money and the rate, while not the best is not all that bad either.

[edgee]

I carry travelers checks and get them cashed at the casino fairly often when cruising on Oceania. Not complicated and never a problem. Great for way to carry money safely..still if you need cash for casino fun or for onshore use in destinations where U.S. dollars are commonly used..eg. Caribbean, Alaska, cruises. For destinations in the rest of the world, ATMs are the way to go.IMHO.

[Hawaiidan]

Does Oceania still cash US Dollar denominated traveller's checks on its ships?

 

These are as dead as a do-do.....very few places today....maybe a bank

.

Expect however a surcharge of fee for cash them.

 

Use a credit card, safer, easier, cheaper, you get conversions to other currency without fee, travel insurance included, Insurance for purchases and finaly milage points for air flights in the future. Travelers checks give none of these.

Merchants are leery because of the ease today of forgery and counterfeit. The are no longer welcome or cashed

 

 

Travelers checks were good in the 50-60's but they have been pretty dead since the 80's some 30 years ago

[NC&KY]

These are as dead as a do-do.....very few places today....maybe a bank

 

Merchants are leery because of the ease today of forgery and counterfeit. The are no longer welcome or cashed

 

 

Travelers checks were good in the 50-60's but they have been pretty dead since the 80's some 30 years ago

I thought so too, but we're both wrong. I have a tennis buddy who spends 4-6 weeks every winter in Anguilla. The vast majority of merchants do not take credit cards, and there are no ATMs, at least anywhere close to the house he rents each year. So instead of taking US cash, he gets a couple of thousand of dollars worth of Travelers Checks to take with him. He says they are the only option for a tourist there.

[Paulchili]

I thought so too, but we're both wrong. I have a tennis buddy who spends 4-6 weeks every winter in Anguilla. The vast majority of merchants do not take credit cards, and there are no ATMs, at least anywhere close to the house he rents each year. So instead of taking US cash, he gets a couple of thousand of dollars worth of Travelers Checks to take with him. He says they are the only option for a tourist there.

 

In other words - if you want to see a Dodo bird, you must go to Anguilla :D

[taxjam]

Really interesting thread. I simply asked if Oceania still cashes travelers checks dollar for dollar. Jim and Stan and Edgee directly answered my simple question with a yes as did the O rep when I called. Besides that I got information on all sorts of related topics. Of course, I really had no interest in "discovering" travelers checks are out dated, I can use ATMs, etc., but thanks anyway.

[newbie60]

Really interesting thread. I simply asked if Oceania still cashes travelers checks dollar for dollar. Jim and Stan and Edgee directly answered my simple question with a yes as did the O rep when I called. Besides that I got information on all sorts of related topics. Of course, I really had no interest in "discovering" travelers checks are out dated, I can use ATMs, etc., but thanks anyway.

 

Thank you for this information. Does Oceania charge a 5% fee for cashing your traveler's checks like it does for cashing a personal check?

[edgee]

Thank you for this information. Does Oceania charge a 5% fee for cashing your traveler's checks like it does for cashing a personal check?

 

I have never been charged a fee on Oceania for cashing a travelers check.

[Mura]

I'm not at all sure that traveler's checks were already dead in the '80s since we used them in France on two trips in 2002 (denominated in euros) ... but even then small establishments (like gas stations, small hotels or restaurants) didn't always accept them.

 

For a while we had a bank account in Switzerland and found it easiest to take funds home in traveler's checks (denominated in U.S. dollars). It was easy to deposit them into our HSBC bank account.

 

However ... the bad news is that HSBC no longer accepts traveler's checks. Period. The good news is that we no longer have that Swiss bank account so it's not a problem. I admit I was surprised when I received the notice. It's a definite sign of extinction when even a bank won't accept traveler's checks! (Local grocery stores in NYC stopped accepting them a number of years ago.)

 

Mura

[Mura]

My apologies. I thought that I hadn't actually tried to post the last message because I wasn't sure if I'd already discussed the issue. But it appears that it DID post. (And I had.)

 

Well, I did go into more detail, but it wasn't necessarily detail that was essential! Sorry for the repetition. I did try NOT to commit that offense...

 

Mura

[digby]

The only 'snarkiness' I see is your know it all response to a question I (and many others, I'm sure) had to the question of why carry TCs.