traveler's checks,cash, visa?

Hi everyone,

over the past couple of months, I have been using this forum quite a bit and so many of my questions have been answered. Now, once again I need some input. I was wondering on what form I should be carrying my money. It seems that having cash (USD or soles) is the most convenient way with Visa being a close second. This is a bit of a new concept for me, because I am used to having Traveler's checks when I travel. I find them so much more handy and it is not as stressful as hauling loads of cash on me. However, after reading some guidebooks and this forum, it just seems that Traveller's checks is not such a good option. Is that so? I would love to hear what you have to say on this.

I've been reading that too, that traveller's cheques are declining in popularity and becoming more problematic to cash in many places. Mentioning soles I'm guessing you are headed to Peru. It's a while since I've been there, but have visited lots of other countries since. It always seems most convenient to have a mix of US dollars and local currency, local for small transactions and dollars for slightly larger ones. Visa is handy for getting more cash from ATMs, for hotel bills, airplane tickets, and of course car rental agencies really like you to have a credit card. Also a bank card can be useful, and my RBC card on the Plus system worked fine on recent trips to Chile and Nicaragua, allowing withdrawals directly from my chequing account. In Santiago though, on one withdrawal I made from the chequing account, the funds were actually taken from my savings account, so if you also have a savings account perhaps it's a good idea to leave some money in it in case you encounter the same bizarre aberration.

I agree that traveler's checks are outdated and hard to use. I might take 1-2 traveler's checks and stow it away in case of emergency, but otherwise, cash & ATM card.

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<hr> This is a bit of a new concept for me, because I am used to having Traveler's checks when I travel. <hr></blockquote> <blockquote>Quote
<hr> agree that traveler's checks are outdated and hard to use.<hr></blockquote> I used to be the former, and now I am the latter. I just returned from an extended, Traveler's checkless, trip to Peru, using only my ATM card and cash, never having had to use my VISA backup. Unless you are able and willing to absorb significant ATM and FX fees, you should ask before you use. BTW: Banco Continental (a/k/a B24) dispenses dollars and soles.

Are travellers checks useable at all in Peru, or is it just a big waste of time to bring them?

At the risk of revealing unsavoury facts about my age, when I was in Peru in 1984, passing through Lima and using Cusco as a base for the main Andean leg of the trip, traveler's cheques in Canadian funds were very difficult to cash. We found one bank In Lima, and a travel agency in Cusco who were prepared to honour them. Taking Canadian TC's was naive. That's why I suggested local or US funds to the OP, who is apparently a compatriot. As for having them nowadays in the more conventional US dollars, it will be interesting to see what more recent visitors to the country post on this question.

We are currently in Peru (Cusco) and are using traveller's checks as our main cash source. They are very easy to change, almost in every exchange office (you need to shop around, some give better rates than others. You can also bargain :) ). We have been in Puno, Arequipa and Cusco so far and didn't have any problems. A lot of traveling agencies take traveller's checks and credit cards but when you pay with a card sometimes there is a commision. It's comforting that they are insured, so even if they are stolen you can replace them (as opposed to cash). Take also a credit card, don't rely only on one thing for cash supply. If something is stolen, it takes time to replace it.
As a general rule, you shouldn't carry more cash on you than you can afford to lose.

Yep, I agree with #2, traveller’s checks are outdated and hard to use. Take 1-2 traveller’s cheques in case of emergency, and a couple of different brand ATM cards. Let your bank know your itinerary and ensure they have your correct mobile phone number on their records. They once rang me seconds after a withdrawing from a remote country’s ATM, checking it was legit. I'm guessing they may have deactivated my card had they not been able to contact me.