Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAVELER'S CHECKS
You can buy trav eler's checks at most banks. They ar e offer ed in
denominations of US$20, US$50, US$100, US$500, and sometimes
US$1,000. G enerally, y ou'll pay a ser vice charge ranging fr om 1%
to 4%.
The most popular trav eler's checks ar e offer ed b y American
Express ( & 800/807-6233 or 800/221-7282 for car dholders—this
number accepts collect calls, offers ser vice in sev eral for eign lan-
guages, and ex empts Amex gold and platinum car dholders from the
1% fee); Visa ( & 800/732-1322 —AAA members can obtain Visa
checks for a US$9.95 fee for checks up to US$1,500 at most AAA
offices or b y calling & 866/339-3378 ); and MasterCard ( & 800/
223-9920 ).
Be sur e to keep a r ecord of the trav eler's checks' serial numbers
separate from your checks in the ev ent that they ar e stolen or lost.
You'll get a refund faster if you know the numbers.
American Express, Thomas Cook, Visa, and MasterCard offer
foreign currency traveler's checks, useful if y ou're traveling to one
country or to the Euro zone; they're accepted at locations where dollar
checks may not be.
Another option is the new prepaid traveler's check cards, reloadable
cards that work much like debit cards, but aren't linked to your check-
ing account. The American E xpress Travelers Cheque C ard, for
example, requires a minimum deposit, sets a maximum balance, and
has a one-time issuance fee of US$14.95. You can withdraw money
from an A TM (for a fee of US$2.50 per transaction, not including
bank fees), and the funds can be pur chased in dollars, eur os, or
pounds. If you lose the car d, your available funds will be r efunded
within 24 hours.
39
2
Tips Dear Visa: I'm Off to Seven Mile Beach!
Some credit card companies recommend that you notify them
of any impending trip abroad so that they don't become sus-
picious when the card is used numerous times in a foreign
destination and your charges are blocked. Even if you don't
call your credit card company in advance, you can always call
the card's toll-free emergency number if a charge is refused—
a good reason to carry the phone number with you. But per-
haps the most important lesson here is to carry more than
one card with you on your trip; a card might not work for any
number of reasons, so having a backup is the smart way to go.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search