Travellers Cheques/Checks

Since I've never stolen any travelers' checks, I don't know.

I won't...

use them because they are expensive and so easy for others to cash. Didn't need photo I.D. last time I used one, although most people use their passport to cash them.

We've used them extensively in the US and Canada. Never had a problem with cashing them - in most tourist areas, having traveler's checks used to be expected (I'm sure plastic has replaced a lot of their use). It was very rare to be asked for any ID when we used them because the checks had to be countersigned in the presence of the person cashing it. So unless the checks were stolen before the buyer had a chance to sign them (which in the old days was done in the bank at the time of purchase), there'd be the problem of duplicating an unfamiliar signature while a cashier watched. Puma

As Puma's said, any time we've had traveller's cheques, we've had to sign them in the bank at the time we ordered them (which makes you very popular with the other people in the queue) and then sign them again when cashing them, so at the very least you'd have to be a good forger and learn how to do the signature. We have been asked for a passport in some countries, particularly in Egypt (which is weird since we always cash them in the tour company office where they know us really well, yet they're the ones who really stick to the rules).

I had some sent to me when I was staying in England and a cash point ate my ATM card. My dad filled them out exactly as he was told but when they got to me I couldn't cash them because the chick said they were signed improperly. It's not like my dad could come down to the back to sort it out so I ended up having to ship them back to him. I was having issues shipping to him specifically and it took a month and a half for him to actually, physcially, get the checks back and when he reported them lost, they very nearly accused him of falsifying a report because they were already countersigned (which he was told they had to be before they got to me). That whole deal with getting your money back in 24 hours is bull. It probably happened once which allows them to advertise that but in reality they launch a full investigation to make sure you're not lying and screwing Amex. I'll stick to a cheque card from now on.

You need to countersign them - they are signed at purchase, then signed again when you cash them.

I've variously had to show no ID, photo ID, two photo IDs, and once was told I couldn't use them because the supermarket didn't take checks without local drivers license and I had nothing but a US passport!

I wouldn't think it would be too easy....when I have used traveller's checks, like has been said, they are counter signed, once when purchased and again when you use them. I haven't had a problem using them in hotels, attractions, nice restaurants but discount stores, supermarkets, and small businesses often shy away from them.

They have serial numbers and when I have bought them, I make a note so if they were lost or stolen, I could report them ASAP which is supposed to stop any thief from using them.

KTC said:

Also...with the major traveller cheque people...you can call a helpline and have them cancelled. (I'm pretty sure...it's been a few years since I used them. For me they are a thing of the past. We've used our debit cards since the day they came out...makes traveller's cheques obsolete.)

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Is this story set in the current century? Because like everyone else has said, traveler's checks are obsolete. I was a hotel manager from 2000 to 2004 and in that time I maybe saw two or three. (And, I was the person who counted deposits, so I saw every one that the hotel took in.) It's all credit cards and debit cards now. I guess a character who couldn't get a credit or debit card might use them, but they'd be more likely to use cash or stay home.

Today you can use them to pay for your room, but most hotels will only cash $50 to $100 in travellers checks for you.

I would also hazard a guess that today, most restaurants outside resort areas won't take them. I think you'd have to go to a bank or a hotel to use them, and at a hotel we would ask for a photo ID. And, both signatures on the checks better match the signature on the ID.

In the 80s and earlier, American Express had a system set up so that travelers could get their lost or stolen travelers checks replaced at hotels. The hotel had a supply of new, unsigned travelers checks sitting in the hotel safe. Joe Blow would call Amex and report his travellers checks stolen. American Express would call the hotel manager and say, "Mr. Joe Blow is going to come in. He needs $500 in replacement checks." He would show us a photo ID and we would give him the traveler's checks. (I think $500 was the maximum, but it worked even if he was not a guest at our hotel. It worked even at 2 am on Sunday.)

Also, I believe that if you report them stolen and someone does cash them, the issuing company -- not the individual -- is out the money. So, it's Amex's loss, not the customer's. (You need to know the check numbers to report them stolen, and you're supposed to make copies of the checks after you sign them, although few people do.) If they are cashed before they are reported stolen, I believe that's the customer's loss.

Tsu Dho Nimh said:

You need to countersign them - they are signed at purchase, then signed again when you cash them.

I've variously had to show no ID, photo ID, two photo IDs, and once was told I couldn't use them because the supermarket didn't take checks without local drivers license and I had nothing but a US passport!

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I've had similar experiences. They are most readily accepted in tourist areas where cashiers are familiar with them and frequently do not require ID, while in non-tourist areas they are looked on more suspiciously and ID is more often required. My supermarket experience was that they wouldn't take a traveler's check because it wasn't for the exact amount of the purchase.