Travel cheques should i get them

lorrigirl29

hi this will be my first time abroad with the the family a few friends have said get travel cheques they safer
my partner bought £400 worth and it cost her £8 extra for them
just want opinions on them is this the best way to do it to take spending money abroad thanks for any help

zppp

lorrigirl29 wrote: »

hi this will be my first time abroad with the the family a few friends have said get travel cheques they safer
my partner bought £400 worth and it cost her £8 extra for them
just want opinions on them is this the best way to do it to take spending money abroad thanks for any help

They can be very good in that they are very secure. They are normally crossed, and if they are lost or stolen they can be replaced. They also don't have an expiry, so any surplus can be kept for later holidays.

I prefer them to taking a wad of cash anyway!

jhe

hi lorrigirl29.i used to get travellers cheques years ago but not now, dont think many people get them now. you can also get charged when cashing them abroad.

worried_jim

Just use atm's like you would at home.

luci

Where are you going, is it in Europe? Whatever you do, don't get euro TC's, get sterling ones.

The simplest way to get money with having a wad of cash is to use the ATM's abroad. However check elsewhere on this site to see what your card provider will charge for using their card as some have quite steep fees and loading fees.

Failing that, TC are a good, safe way of carrying a lot of cash as they can be replaced easily if they are lost or stolen. Also, get a mixture of denominations and not all high value ones so you can use smaller ones towards the end of the holiday when you may not need to change a lot.

stephb34

If your partner was charged i presume she had sterling cheques, which normally you have to pay commission for. You dont say where your going let us know and it will be easier to advise you what to take. Travellers cheques arent very popular anymore, a lot of people use the prepaid travel cards instead nowadays.

moneypooh

I always take a few just in case we have trouble with ATMs. Having read that so many people have had problems with cards I like to have a fall back in case. I tend to get them from somewhere that will refund them without cost and it's worth a little peace of mind.

katieclampet

I havent used tc for years. I usually just take cash, (smallish amount) a credit card and a back up credit card. Never had a problem. But I suppose it depends on where you are going, shouldnt have any problem in europe or usa.

katiex

sofababe

CaxtonFX cards are the best way to use your spending money allowance. You can get a Euro one and a Dollar one, they also do a Global Traveller which you can use anywhere else.
They are free to get, the £10 application fee is added to your card balance and as they are Mastercard they are accepted everywhere. You can also use ATM's FOC.
I wouldn't use anything else now.....and best of all, they have the best exchange rate which is checked several times daily.

nic_nac_

stephb34 wrote: »

If your partner was charged i presume she had sterling cheques, which normally you have to pay commission for. You dont say where your going let us know and it will be easier to advise you what to take. Travellers cheques arent very popular anymore, a lot of people use the prepaid travel cards instead nowadays.

Hi sorry to hijack this thread but could anyone tell me a bit more about prepaid travel cards please? TY

whatmichaelsays

nic_nac_ wrote: »

Hi sorry to hijack this thread but could anyone tell me a bit more about prepaid travel cards please? TY

They are effectively a "pay as you go" debit card. You load the card before you leave the UK with the foreign currency and then use the card just as you would use a debit card at home. They are usually either MasterCard or Visa Electron card, so they're accepted in most cash machines, shops, restaurants and attractions.

I've had a Caxton FX Card for a few years now and it's been massively helpful. I use it every time I'm overseas now and rarely ever take more than the taxi fare from the airport in local currency these days.