How do you all manage your $$? Do you take some cash and Am Ex checks or what? Thanks.

I stopped using travelers checks years ago. It's easier to just be careful. I pay the shipboard account with my debit card. I use a credit card for any large on-shore purchases. And I allot $100.00 a day for extra tips and small on-shore purchases, which I take in cash, and usually bring about half of it home.

I don't know anyone who uses travelers checks these days. In fact most companies that issued them no longer do so.

We always carry Traveler checks as they are very safe. We never carry actual cash on us at all any more. We always use either credit cards or if they require cash we use our traveler checks. We are going into a cashless society as in Canada we use our debit card to buy everything or credit cards. My kids never have cash on them.

We use our Amex for our shipboard account. We take traveler's checks for my gambling, cab fare, on shore souvineers, tips, on shore food/drinks, etc. My bank informed me they're going to go to a debit card system for traveler's checks this year. Don't know how that works for getting cash, but I guess I'll find out.

quote:

We take traveler's checks for my gambling

Correction to my previous post. I do know someone who still uses traveler's checks.

Dave, now you know 2 people that still use traveler's checks. I do the same as Penny. I bring them for gambling cash (Carnival charges a 3% fee for getting gamling cash on the credit card) But use plastic for most of the rest (aside from some cash for small purchases.

For what its worth, RCCL didn't charge a fee to get cash, so it could depend on the cruise line.

We always have our Cruise paid for before we go. Our cruise next October is paid for, we have booked and paid for shore excursions, I have bought enough Gift Certificates to cover our sign and sale account, we will still give them our visa information. I have enough cash set back in my secret place for extra tips or stuff we will buy onshore. I have a vacation debit account that we move a little money into, as does my wife. Why two accounts you ask? We are both on the accounts I just use one and she uses the other, they are separate from our other accounts and if lost or stolen no one is going to get very much money. We do carry another card in a more secure place.

I'm as surprised as Dave. I didn't know anyone used Travelers Checks for anything anymore. Also, thanks for the info on the 3% fee Jim. I didn't realize there was a fee with any line if you had an onboard account and just wanted to get some cash to be added to that account. I don't recall ever being charged a fee on any line but it's been a few years since I sailed CCL.

Cheers, Neil

I work for a bank in Canada and we get lots of request from customers for Travelers checks. They are still in big demand.

As somebody who travels all over the world I must agree with much of what was said by Dave. Travelers Checks have become pretty much obsolete in many parts of the world and been replaced by ATMs and credit cards. In fact, there are places in Europe where its very difficult to cash TCs, and you will often pay extra fees and even get a worse exchange rate than with cash. That being said, TCs still work very well on cruise ships since the ships will always cash them for dollars. We still carry some TCs as an emergency back-up, but haven't cashed one of the things in years.

Hank