My son is traveling to Ireland with his Boy Scout troop. I'm trying to find a way to give him spending money, without giving him cash. Apparently, AMEX giftcards cannot be used in Europe. I think travelers checks are an option, but not the easiest to use for a 12-year old boy. Anyone have other suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2805 posts
Open a checking account (you can close it after the trip), it has to be a checking account a savings account will not work. You can put in the amount you want him to have or just put in a small amount and add to it as needed. Then get a ATM card for him, ATM's are everywhere so he won't have trouble finding one. I wouldn't send traveler checks with him, a lot of places will not take them any more. He would have to find a bank to cash them which will charge him a fee for cashing them. I truly feel that an ATM card would be the best thing for him.
Posted by
Krems, Wachau, Austria
386 posts
I totally agree with everything Robin has said!
Get an ATM card for him, forget the traveler's checks completely!
An alternative to a checking account is a prepaid credit card. I recently had someone tell me that they got one from AAA and it worked great.
Just make sure you get a 4 digit number code for a pin!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
My local credit union sells prepaid credit cards, so you might check into that locally. But I agree with the other posters who have said that an ATM card is a better alternative. No travelers checks!