Traveler’s Checks Are Still Around

Can you still use traveler’s checks? And if so, would you still want to?

In a world in which cashless economies increase, why would you even think of this classic travel tool? Essentially, it is cool to remember little pieces of travel history, but these pieces of nostalgia are still active currency.

The traveler’s check appeared on the scene in 1891. The brainchild of Fargo, of Wells Fargo fame, they were one of the first ways to travel without cash. You could buy these checks from your bank in denominations of $20, $50 or $100 for currencies around the globe. The owner would endorse the checks upon receipt and then when using them in their destination, the checks would be endorsed again and require an ID when cashed. These checks were secure and, if lost, guaranteed to be replaced by the issuing bank. This provided a level of security rare before the 1990s when the use of these checks slowly started to decline because of increased credit card use.

Some people still travel with back-up checks as a little bit of an insurance policy should your cash and cards get stolen. The other benefit was the businesses cashing the checks were not charged exorbitant fees. Today, these seemingly outdated pieces of currency are still a great asset in countries in which you may not have ready access to ATMs or are worried about security issues and would want to travel with cash as little as possible, but have the freedom it affords. You can still purchase checks at American Express.