Hi all,

Am leaving for my first trip to Spain at the end of this month, and have really enjoyed all the information I've been gleaning from this board!

I'm trying to decide about whether to take travelers checks or not. I've searched through the forum and seen that most people recommend not to bother with travelers checks because of the fees and difficulty exchanging them, but what about travelers checks that are in EUROS? Then there wouldn't be any exchange fee, right? Wouldn't they be treated just like cash? I work in a retail store here in the US and know that if tourists come in with US travelers checks we accept them just like cash. We do ask for ID, but that's the only thing that makes them different.

If anyone has tried taking Euro traveler checks, please advise me on whether it was worth it or not. I will have a visa and an ATM as well, just thought the Euro checks might be a good idea.

Thanks for any comments!

Martha

Hi Martha --

I´m not familiar with the Euro traveler´s cheques... Just the regular AMEX Travelers cheques..and they definitely aren´t worth bringing for the hassle of exchange.

I would strongly recommend bringing your VISA and ATM cards. You will have no problem paying here (don´t forget a photo id) with the cards, nor will you have any problems taking money out as there are almost as many ATMs as there are inhabitants!

Just remember to tell your credit card company that you will be travelling overseas so they don´t put a security block on your card.

Have a great trip!

Gracias, Chica!

I am very excited to be finally going!

Say, what is "IberEnglish"? Sounds very intriguing.

My experience is somewhat different. I alway use, especially in Spain, traveler's checks. (In some other countries, cash gets a better exchange rate than travelers checks...in Spain, travelers checks get a better rate than cash) I have never had a problem exchanging them and, for example, American Express doesn't charge any fees.

I don't use ATM cards here and I do not bring my credit cards with me. Mostly, however, I do not carry credit cards because I'm afraid I'd might lose them.

Also, the rate of exchange doesn't necessarily correspond to the day you make your purchase. In other words, if you buy something on day 1 for 33€ and that values $42.00 the transaction may not get submitted to the bank until a few days later...when that 33€ may now be worth $45.00 (or for that matter...$40).

There's no way to know for sure. Take the following example: I purchased my plane tickets for Spain on Feb. 1. The tickets arrived in my hands within 2 weeks. However, it wasn't processed at my bank until March 31.

I don't see anything wrong with taking checks. But, as I say...that's my personal opinion.

When I go to Spain next month, and I'll be there for a month, I'm taking only traveler's checks.

Sheryl

hi, I'll be bringing TC in euros as back-up. I bought my TC from Travelex (used to be Thomas Cook), and they are valid forever, like cash. If you don't use them, you can change them back in your own country's currency based on current rate.

Just check with whoever you buy TC from of where to exchange your TC without paying commission.

Hahaha.. a side note: if the euro goes higher than the rate I bought TC at, I might make a dollar or two too!

I went in January and took no traveler's checks. I used my atm card and credit cards only and got excellent exchange rates from my bank. Much better than the rate (including fees) for traveler's checks that I was considering taking. I happen to bank at a credit union, so I think they are not out to make as much money off of me as a regular bank. Definitely check to see if you will be charged fees and how much by your credit card and atm issuer(s).

Also, as Chica said don't forget to notify the issuers of your atm and credit cards that you will be out of the country....but also don't forget to tell them about any automated charges to your card that might be made (and are ok)while you are gone. My gym charges my membership to my credit card, but they enter it by hand, so that alerted the bank because I was supposed to be out of the country. Luckily, it happened towards the end of my trip, and I was able to clear it up when I got back. I certainly didn't check my voicemail when I was gone, although next time I probably will.

Have a great time!

Thanks, everybody, for your advice and comments.
I think I will probably take at least some travelers checks, as I like the fact that they're replaceable if they get lost or stolen.

I was just wondering if having the checks in Euros instead of dollars would mean they would be accepted everywhere, even at little places where it would be a hassle to try to exchange dollars.
But from what people have said it seems that there is a fee to cash travelers checks whether they're in dollars or not, unlike here where they are accepted just like cash.
Perhaps I'm overthinking this!
And should move on to more important topics like what to wear and whether it will be raining by the time I get there in May!

Martha

They are not accepted most places no matter what demonination they are in. I have taken both and have returned to the US with all of them. I just redeposit them in my checking account when I get back. Anyway, if you get them in Euros you will pay a price to do that and probably have an unfavorable exchange rate.

If you want them as a backup, just take them in dollars. You could you them if you took them to a bank or, if they are American Express, you can cash them there. I have decided that if I get into trouble I can always have money wired to the American Express office and so no longer take them with me as an emergency backup.

If you stay in big, luxurious hotel I am certain that you could cash them without a problem. I tend to avoid big`places and many of the places I visit deal with cash.

My neighbors just returned from Spain and took traveler's checks as a backup. They found they could not cash them and were very surprised that they needed cash at so many places. They had never used an ATM card and got one the day the left. They reported that it was clearly the best way to get cash.

Cash and credit cards work best. You get the best exchange rates from ATMs and credit card companies.

In the small town of Gandia, we had no trouble finding a place to cash travelers' checks. HOWEVER, I wasted the better part of a day in Alicante trying to find a place to cash a student's check. The commission was outrageous. Since then, I've just used a debit card. With a debit card you can access bank machines at any hour; they are found all over the place; you pay a small transaction fee, but it is nowhere near the commission charged by banks.

Also, check with your credit card company for special deals. One of my cards announced a promotion rate of 0% if I used it for a cash advance, whereas I would be charged usual interest if I used to card to make purchases....

I still have one travelers' check from the trip before last, but it's getting a little tattered.

Thanks to sel and liatris for recent comments on this topic, which arrived while I was in Spain!
I ended up doing just fine with just an ATM card and visa, when I first arrived I withdrew some cash in euros with the ATM and everything was very easy.

I guess I was thinking about travelers checks because I got paranoid about crime and pickpockets and was afraid I'd be stranded there with nothing if I lost my wallet, but it all worked out just fine.

I did witness a purse-snatching though, in Barcelona near a metro station (not the Ramblas, just a quiet neighborhood near Montjuic) 2 guys on a motorbike whirled up onto the sidewalk and grabbed a bag off a woman's shoulder. Could have easily been me! I was standing there like a potato head reading a map and didn't even look up when I heard the motorbike go right by me. (I know, I know, what an idiot). I only woke up when I heard the woman shout. Luckily the doorman from a nearby hotel gave chase and grabbed the bag back from the guys, so there was a happy ending.

I'm super jetlagged and can't form sentences right now, but will try to write later, in the appropriate forum, more about my trip.

Martha

Forget the travellers checks.

I was in Spain in early May. I found the Spanish continue to be more cashed based than credit based than the US. Many many restuarants, shops and hostals want cash and not the ole Visa card.

I found ATMs on almost every corner in Madrid, Seville, Cadiz, Estapona and Granada. I'd called my bank ahead of time and told them to expect ATM usage from me from Spain. I had no trouble getting Euros and the exchange rate I got was excellent. I travelled with a couple of days of cash and reloaded at the local ATM...about like I do in the US.

Harley