Using Travellers Cheques in Europe(Paris) Stores

[ShopSmart]

Just wondering if anyone knew how widely accepted American Express travellers cheques are in Europe - specifically Paris - at stores and restaurants. Do the stores and restaurants charge an extra fee for accepting them/cashing them or does it work straight like cash?

I've only used travellers cheques by cashing them for local currency at an Amex Travel office (no fee). Unfortunately in Paris the only Amex Tourist/Travel Office that I see on the website are located at the Charles De Gaulles Airport.

Thanks!

[asdfvcx]

In general, stores in Europe won't accept travellers cheques. You need to go to a bank or currency exchange stand to get them exchanged and they will charge a fee.

[Ben Jr]

Who uses travelers cheque's anymore, nothing but a pain in the ass. Just stop at one of the 100s of bank machines or use the Visa.

[ShopSmart]

Who uses travelers cheque's anymore, nothing but a pain in the ass. Just stop at one of the 100s of bank machines or use the Visa.

Travellers cheques are handy if you're travelling a long journey, making stopovers in between, etc. And if you're carrying/transporting a fair amount of money.

And since I only have an AMEX card, which is not as widely accepted as VISA or MC in Paris or so I read, it kind of pays to have it on hand.

[GangStarr]

Travellers cheques are handy if you're travelling a long journey, making stopovers in between, etc. And if you're carrying/transporting a fair amount of money.

And since I only have an AMEX card, which is not as widely accepted as VISA or MC in Paris or so I read, it kind of pays to have it on hand.

How is it more handy then say an ATM card? You have to have one. It sucks that it is $5 to withdraw everytime, but between the poor exchange rate on travelers cheques and the cost and waste of time involved in cashing them I dont see how they are any more useful.

Get a VISA or MasterCard, AmEx charges merchants more then Visa or Mastercard thats why nobody likes it.

[Pete_Coach]

Travellers cheques are handy if you're travelling a long journey, making stopovers in between, etc. And if you're carrying/transporting a fair amount of money.

And since I only have an AMEX card, which is not as widely accepted as VISA or MC in Paris or so I read, it kind of pays to have it on hand.

I believe that you are wrong in almost all counts here. Firstly you are very wrong if you even attempt to transport a fair amount of money. You should have enough for your immediate purposes only. And in my experience in traveling Europe, travelers checks are less and less accepted by anyone other than some hotels and banks. Most stores ad restaurants will not take the anymore.
Amex is as widely accepted as both Visa and Mastercard. This can easily be checked if you call them (Amex) with a rough idea of our itinerary. They will tell you exactly where to access money. You can even let them know where you will be so there will be no embarrassing moments when you withdraw.
The only thing with using a credit card is that if you have no way of paying it off while on your trip, the interest can kill you. I use the ATM debit card for cash, and pay for bigger things with my credit card. Yes, they charge $5 per transaction but I make sure I take out enough cash to last me the next several days or week or so). This makes he charge as low as 2 or 3% (or less depending how much I take) vice whatever the credit card charges.

[b166er1337]

like everyone else said,

a debit card, a visa, plus a backup credit card is all you need in Europe!

[ShopSmart]

Travellers cheques are handy if you're travelling a long journey, making stopovers in between, etc. And if you're carrying/transporting a fair amount of money.

And since I only have an AMEX card, which is not as widely accepted as VISA or MC in Paris or so I read, it kind of pays to have it on hand.

Sorry, handy was the wrong word. Safer. When I say a long journey, I don't mean Europe - more like to somewhere in the boonies in Asia.

But you're right, Europe is not a really that big a journey. And in fact, I don't even intend to spend alot of money.

[ShopSmart]

I believe that you are wrong in almost all counts here. Firstly you are very wrong if you even attempt to transport a fair amount of money. You should have enough for your immediate purposes only. And in my experience in traveling Europe, travelers checks are less and less accepted by anyone other than some hotels and banks. Most stores ad restaurants will not take the anymore.
Amex is as widely accepted as both Visa and Mastercard. This can easily be checked if you call them (Amex) with a rough idea of our itinerary. They will tell you exactly where to access money. You can even let them know where you will be so there will be no embarrassing moments when you withdraw.
The only thing with using a credit card is that if you have no way of paying it off while on your trip, the interest can kill you. I use the ATM debit card for cash, and pay for bigger things with my credit card. Yes, they charge $5 per transaction but I make sure I take out enough cash to last me the next several days or week or so). This makes he charge as low as 2 or 3% (or less depending how much I take) vice whatever the credit card charges.

Thanks for the advice. I am still wary about using ATMs at all. My bank told me they charge $3 per transaction plus a currency exchange fee (I think around 2.5%?) plus I will get charged an unspecified system network fee for using the PLUS system. The unspecified part is what unnerves me.

If stores accept Amex more widely then I would prefer to use my credit card. I checked their rates and they seem to be better than what TD Bank advertises on their website.

[sexpuppet6000]

Thanks for the advice. I am still wary about using ATMs at all. My bank told me they charge $3 per transaction plus a currency exchange fee (I think around 2.5%?) plus I will get charged an unspecified system network fee for using the PLUS system. The unspecified part is what unnerves me.

If stores accept Amex more widely then I would prefer to use my credit card. I checked their rates and they seem to be better than what TD Bank advertises on their website.

don't you only get charged for the PLUS service fee when you withdraw cash out w/ a credit card?

i paid 5 dollars per withdrawl and I withdrew MANY times, it is part of travelling. try not to be so worried about a couple dollars here and there, because it is likely that you'll get ripped off even more somewhere along the way.

very few places accept amex, i didn't see one store that did.

[GangStarr]

You can even let them know where you will be so there will be no embarrassing moments when you withdraw.
The only thing with using a credit card is that if you have no way of paying it off while on your trip, the interest can kill you. .
I pay off both my Visa and Mastercard with online banking. Its pretty simple.

[rangermcfadden]

Thanks for the advice. I am still wary about using ATMs at all. My bank told me they charge $3 per transaction plus a currency exchange fee (I think around 2.5%?) plus I will get charged an unspecified system network fee for using the PLUS system. The unspecified part is what unnerves me.

If stores accept Amex more widely then I would prefer to use my credit card. I checked their rates and they seem to be better than what TD Bank advertises on their website.

If you want you could get a Scotibank account or credit card and use their free Global ATM Alliance (http://www.scotiabank.com/cda/content/0,1608,CID8040_LIDen,00.html).

[Pete_Coach]

don't you only get charged for the PLUS service fee when you withdraw cash out w/ a credit card?

i paid 5 dollars per withdrawl and I withdrew MANY times, it is part of travelling. try not to be so worried about a couple dollars here and there, because it is likely that you'll get ripped off even more somewhere along the way.

very few places accept amex, i didn't see one store that did.

Never never get cash using a credit card. No matter if you pay it off as soon as you get the bill, getting cash is exactly like a loan and starts accruing interest (huge interest, like 19 or more % depending on your card) the moment you get the money.
Check with your bank, they will tell you exactly how much it costs for international withdrawals. The currency exchange fee is just a term for what the exchange rate for the money you are getting (Dollars to Euros etc), this depends on the strength of our dollar. You need to figure out how much cash you need for a few days or a week and therefore use the ATM the least amount of times. Once a week for 4 weeks is only $20 for a lot of piece of mind.

[fortunekitty500]

Went to Paris last month. Most places don't accept traveller's cheques. Major shops accept AMEX. I suggest converting your cheques at the amex office into cash.

[perfectg]

I was in paris in september of last year. Plastic is your best friend, no questions asked, well cash is always better.