Cashing a check at Guest Relations

[pbrady]

I'm making a list for some 1st time cruisers joining us this year & as fast as things seem to change without notice I just wanted to check. In the past, if you had a credit card with your name attached to your on-board account, you could cash one check per cruise for up to $200. Is that still the case?

[Gonzo70]

Yes, at least I just did this last month on Infinity.

[pbrady]

Thanks - We never needed to cash a check but I did not want o give out bad info.

[bluewhite]

Thanks - We never needed to cash a check but I did not want o give out bad info.

Are travelers cheques still able to be cashed at guest services desk?

[cb at sea]

Yes...one $200 dollar check per cruise. Easier to just bring the cash you might need, tho!

[Hlitner]

Checks and Travelers Checks? Didn't know that any travelers even tried to use them in the 21st Century. We are in the era of Debit/ATM cards and credit cards. We actually watched somebody trying to use a travelers check in France (at a restaurant) and it caused a bit of a problem. The waiter was young (20s) and had no idea what a travelers check was. He brought the manager (who was old enough to remember TCs) who told the table that they did not accept TCs. The party (at the table) apparently did not have enough cash...so the manager referred them to a nearby (down the street) ATM. Fortunately one person (at least) at the table did have an ATM card and left the restaurant to get cash. We live in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for part of the year (where there are plenty of ATMs). Most of the "Cambios" (money changing places) have signs saying "we do not accept travelers checks." As to banks....good luck.

 

Just saying :).

 

Hank

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We still have some travelers checks from years ago. Celebrity has always cashed them. I went to the bank before our last cruise and they also cashed them, though they had to look up the procedure. I'll be cashing the few remaining for our February cruise.

[bEwAbG]

I remember being stumped when presented with a traveler's check in the mid-90s when I was working at a hotel (and only ever saw a handful after that). I'm always surprised to see that they're still around.

[drew69]

Are travelers cheques still able to be cashed at guest services desk?

 

Does anyone actually use these in this day and age

[bluewhite]

Does anyone actually use these in this day and age

Well this is not the reaction I was expecting lol.

I'm still old fashioned. Drive my husband and children crazy with my ideas of how to deal with money in this centu. So be it. I feel safer with them.

I won't do online banking either.

So I'll bite the bullet and bring cash.

Thank you all for your ideas and advice.

[TeeRick]

Does anyone actually use these in this day and age

 

Traveler's Checks have been pretty much phased out. If you don't want to use your personal ATM card for safety reasons, then take a pre-paid debit or credit card with you. You might pay a fee for the card (like Traveler's Checks) but you will get the best exchange rate.

[pbrady]

Many Banks & Travel Companies no longer even deal in Traveler's Checks. We Take 2 to 3 extended international trips per year & many stores, hotels, Safari Companies,...haven't taken them in years. The reason is the same from each one of them: Too easy to counterfeit with the new soft-ware.

 

ATM on-board - In the last 5 cruises on X the ATM has been out-of-order the entire cruise on 2 of them. This year we are taking 2 new cruisers & told them both to bring cash and your credit card that has no foreign transaction fee OR currency exchange fee (recently told one had no foreign transaction fee but did have a hefty currency exchange fee - Honestly, I did not see the difference when explained but was told they are different) . It is easier to take some cash home & re-deposit then to not be able to get cash. Don't count on using the ATMs on the islands (unless a US territory) or you with get the local currency and then you have to change it to US & that costs too.

[Hlitner]

Well this is not the reaction I was expecting lol.

I'm still old fashioned. Drive my husband and children crazy with my ideas of how to deal with money in this centu. So be it. I feel safer with them.

I won't do online banking either.

So I'll bite the bullet and bring cash.

Thank you all for your ideas and advice.

 

Sometimes even we older folks get dragged (kicking and screaming) into the new high tech world :). In our case it happened a few years ago when we were spending 4-6 weeks in Europe doing driving trips. There was no way we wanted to carry over $10,000 in cash (not to mention the hassles of exchanging cash), virtually nobody excepts checks, and Travelers Checks were already becoming obsolete. The only reasonable solution was to have multiple Debit cards (drawn on separate accounts) so we could simply get Euros when and where needed. As to online banking, because we live outside the US for many months a year...online banking is the only option we have to handle many day to day financial issues.

 

And now, we are taking a cruise in the Spring and decided to join with others (on our CC Roll Call) to book a private tour in Japan. Like many places in Asia, the Japanese bus company requires payment in advance and it must be made in Yen. One lady (in Australia) is organizing the entire tour (with over forty participants) and payment must be made. The only reasonable way to pay a firm in Japan, with Yen, is to do it online using Paypal (this lets you transfer funds in nearly any type currency).

 

Two years ago we rented an apartment in Paris (for 2 weeks) and the Paris agent needed a deposit in Euros which was easily handled via Paypal with a few clicks of the mouse. Final payment (well over 1000€) had to be made in either cash (Euros) or via a Paypal transfer (which we did in seconds while at the apartment with the agent). Bottom line is that if one wants to truly do lots of traveling, moving into the 21st century has become a necessity. My in-laws were also resistant to change (such as getting an ATM card) until they decided to take their first international trip to Ireland. They finally had to break down and get an ATM/Debit card. They were so helpless the bank manager had to walk them outside to the ATM achine and slowly explain how to use the darn thing :).

 

Hank

[upwarduk]

On the money theme:

We have been given some Rubles for our visit to St Petersburg via Silhouette, in early July.

If we don’t spend them all, will Guest Relations exchange them for Euros, as our next port of Call is Warnemunde.

[bEwAbG]

Another option is to get a prepaid card from a store. That way you can keep it separate from your bank account.

[Hlitner]

On the money theme:

We have been given some Rubles for our visit to St Petersburg via Silhouette, in early July.

If we don’t spend them all, will Guest Relations exchange them for Euros, as our next port of Call is Warnemunde.

 

We have been to Russia on several cruise lines and none of them would have any part of exchanging Rubles.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Another option is to get a prepaid card from a store. That way you can keep it separate from your bank account.

 

Nearly all Prepaid cards are a complete rip-off when you do the math on their exchange rate + fees. But it certainly is an option. A few years ago when we forced ourselves into the modern age we learned a few valuable tricks (some from folks here on CC). We established a separate bank account (with a Federal Credit Union) at an institution that charged no foreign exchange fees on either their credit cards (Master Card) or Debit/ATM card. We then set up the ability to do online bank transfers from our main bank account to this Credit Union account. That credit union account is now our primary account that we use when we travel and we can easily control (via online bank transfers) how much money we want to keep in that account. If something were to happen to that account we would still have 2 other (DWs and mine) bank accounts (at 2 other institutions)...both of which also have ATM/Debit cards (and one of those accounts is also free of fees and foreign exchange fees.

 

This might all sound a bit anal, but when one travels independently for months at a time it is wise to have a good backup (for cash) and a backup to the backup. It is the same with credit cards....in that you do not ever want to rely totally on 1 card. And it makes sense to seek out credit cards that have zero foreign exchange fees (such as CapitalOne Visa, Andrews FCU MC, AMEX Platinum, Chase Sapphire, etc). None of this is very necessary for an occasional traveler or somebody who cruises and relies on cruise line excursions.

 

The changes in independent travel have been extensive...in the past decade. Years ago we never would have dreamed of renting furnished apartments in foreign lands...not to mention having a lot of problems trying to even pay for such a thing. Now, its as easy as a few clicks of a mouse and also very common, In Paris, it has been estimated that there are thousands (some claim over 10,000) apartments, B&Bs, and rooms independent of tourist hotels. AirBnB, Homeaway, Hometogo, and even Tripadvisor are just a few of the sites where one can browse around for alternatives to oft overpriced hotels. Consider that we were able to rent a large well furnished apartment in one of the highest priced (and desired) parts of Paris (St Germain des Pres) for a lot less then a basic hotel room in that same area. And our apartment had several room, free WiFi, large screen TV, well equipped kitchen, etc.

 

So why do I post this here....on CC? Because many of us cruisers also do land travel...often before or after a cruise. These days there are just so many wonderful travel options for those with a little spirit of adventure. And its not just for young folks. We dined with a 92 year young widow on a HAL cruise (from Florida to Amsterdam) who, after we disembarked in Amsterdam, managed to get herself and her luggage to the train station, take the train to Paris, and move into her rental apartment for a few weeks. This lady had some friends in Paris, and when I asked why she didnt just stay with her friends she just laughed and told us that she preferred to be on her own so she could do her own thing! And this from a 92 year old lady :).

 

Hank

[Silkroad]

Hlitner, we do something very similar. We have a separate credit union account for traveling as well as two credit cards that charge no foreign transaction fees. Now if only we could join the rest of the world with chip and pin cards! My brother (who as a UK resident can have a UK bank account and credit card) still laughs and rolls his eyes at me every time I pull out my chip and signature card when I visit. Our cards are most vexing at unmanned kiosks at train stations. BTW I couldn’t do without online banking & have used it for years. As you say, it’s essential for people who travel a great deal.

Edited January 11, 2018 by Silkroad
Addition

[TeeRick]

On the money theme:

We have been given some Rubles for our visit to St Petersburg via Silhouette, in early July.

If we don’t spend them all, will Guest Relations exchange them for Euros, as our next port of Call is Warnemunde.

 

Rubles will not be exchanged so spend them all in Russia. We did use our Visa credit card in Russia with a well-known highly rated tour operator and it was not a problem. We did notify our credit card issuer in advance of our trip. By the way, it is actually illegal in Russia to use any cash but Rubles. However our tour guide accepted euro's for a tip.

[kjwinston2019]

If you are looking NOT to carry cash, and you don't want to use your Debt card because you are afraid.....The buy "Pre-Paid" American Express or Visa, you can find these in all super markets now. They are the new Travelers Checks. Better security, some now with Gold chips.

[TeeRick]

If you are looking NOT to carry cash, and you don't want to use your Debt card because you are afraid.....The buy "Pre-Paid" American Express or Visa, you can find these in all super markets now. They are the new Travelers Checks. Better security, some now with Gold chips.

 

Agree this is the way to go these days. Just make sure in advance they can be used in the countries visited.

[kjwinston2019]

This is why use the Visa pre... Most take that card before AMX.

 

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[FredZiffle]

I agree with previous posters about the need for at least one credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. Usually I'll carry one, and my wife will carry a different one. That way, if one is lost or stolen, we have a backup.

 

I also learned on CC about the advantage of having a Charles Schwab ATM card. No foreign transaction fees, and they will reimburse any ATM fees as well. We set up a checking account with them and simply keep a small balance in it until we go on a trip. We make an easy electronic transfer from our regular checking account at another institution to give us enough funds. If we over anticipate our spending, we just use the ATM card a few times when we return to draw down the balance. And, there are no monthly charges for the account as well.

[vicki413]

Well this is not the reaction I was expecting lol.

I'm still old fashioned. Drive my husband and children crazy with my ideas of how to deal with money in this centu. So be it. I feel safer with them.

I won't do online banking either.

So I'll bite the bullet and bring cash.

Thank you all for your ideas and advice.

Canadian banks no longer sell Travellers Cheques.

[BSinPNS]

Both the M and S class ships have ATMs. One always dispenses US$ while the second one dispenses the major local currency. In Europe, Euros, in the Caribbean US$ at both machines. I think is was US$ in both during our Asia trip on the Millennium. Last time we used it the transaction fee was $6.50 and it showed as BB&T Miami. I have withdrawn up to $400 at once without a problem (might as well since the fee is independent of the transaction amount).