We are going on Rick's Turkey tour. My husband wants to take travelers checks for backup. I am under the impression that they are very hard to use? Any Help?
Posted by
St. Paul, MN
45 posts
you might want to read this, and you will find that you impression is correct. http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/details/Money/TravelersChecks.html have some cash, a couple cash cards and credit cards - wear a money belt you should be covered.
Posted by
Dunwoody, Georgia
338 posts
My suggestion is to bring some U.S. dollars for the entry Visa then use ATMs and credit cards. With ATMs being ubquitous in cities and tourist areas, Travelers checks are not really necessary.
Posted by
Camarillo, California
3149 posts
US Currency is what you should take for emergency backup, not TCs. If a bank is not handy, what do you do then? At least with currency you have a chance of finding someone who will give you Turkish Lira. Currency exchange businesses are getting more difficult to find now that ATMs are everywhere.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
I took RS Turkey tour last summer - it was a good experience and I really enjoyed Istanbul. I go to Europe every summer and while there take a RS tour. In the last 10 years, I have not seen one person on one of his tours that tried to use travelers checks. I am not saying that it did not happen but probably 90% or those tour folks use DEBIT cards to get money out of all the ATMs that are almost everywhere these days. I have always been successful in getting the local currency from an ATM machine at my final arrival airport. I would advise taking two debit cards if at all possible just in case something goes wrong. We take one from two different financial institutions. We have never taken any emergency money from home but that may change this year.
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
187 posts
You will have a very difficult time cashing traveler's checks or finding merchants who will accept them. Please reconsider to avoid lots of frustration and difficulty. Traveler's checks are almost extinct. I recommend two different debit cards (in case one malfunctions) or one debit card and a MasterCard or Visa. American Express is not as widely accepted in Europe.
Posted by
OP
San Diego, CA, USA
11 posts
Thanks, all. He is now convinced to leave those dinosaurs at home!!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23643 posts
No, no, no, don't leave your husband at home. I am sure he will enjoy the trip. We always carry about $200 in cash as back up -- Five 20s and a hundred. And we have never touched in 18 years of travel -- close a couple of times. Now this is just based on what I have read and heard -- no direct experience -- take crisp, new bills and don't take 50s because they are the most frequently counterfeited bill and "supposedly" European's are more suspicious of 50 dollar bills.