How do Travelers Checks work?
Ach, Jessica, No!!! Don’t get travelers checks. Use your visa or mastercard atm card. Let me repeat, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH TRAVELERS CHECKS! Ok, first of all, a travelers check is just like a regular check, but the amount is pre-printed and there are 3 lines for names. The first line is the name of the business it’s being given to. Then you have your signature of when you first bought it. Then you have a line for your signature for when you are redeeming them. The major benefit is that if they are lost or stolen, they are completely refundable. Well, so is your ATM card! Yep, on the back of your card is an emergency number. Give that number and your card number to your parents. If your card is lost or stolen, call home. They’ll report your card lost or stolen and any charges that occur after that time are covered by the bank’s insurance. Don’t worry about the time of day. If it’s 2 am in the states when you call, that call gets recorded for 2 am. So even if the bank doesn’t open u
If you have an ATM card, use that instead. Travelers checks are almost like antiques now, less and less stores accept them, and they cost a fee to get them. If you are traveling from another country, open up an account in your country with a bank that has a partner with an American bank so you can avoid ATM fees. When I go to London, my Bank American ATM can be used at Barclays bank with no fee.
