ATM or traveler's checks??

[alaskantwinks]

Has anyone had experience with either traveler's checks or ATM's on vacation? We haven't traveled that much in the last few years, and I was wondering if there is enough ATM's on our trip to forgo traveler's checks? What are the surcharges? We are staying onsite, I understand we use our credit card to make most purchases, is that right? The hotel package with park tickets have already been paid for with our visa card, so that is taken care of, I was just thinking of snacks, food, souvenirs, etc. Thanks!!

 

[safetymom]

We use the ATM's. Usually there is a $2 charge for transactions. They are all over the resorts and parks.

 

[disneysteve]

We don't do either. We use a credit card for virtually everything. The only places you can't use credit card are little free-standing places like an ice cream cart. I'll go down with about $300-$400 cash and that will be more than enough for the week.

As for ATM's, they are plentiful so no problem if you do need cash.

I just find Traveler's Checks to be a pain personally. So much easier to swipe a credit card. Plus it helps run up my reward points.

Steve

 

[kandmwedding]

Working at a bank I can tell you the going charge for ATM use is $2 on each end. So $2 from whatever bank Disney uses for their ATMs, and $2 for your own bank - for a total of $4 per transaction. My bank charges $1.50 per $100 for single signature (only one person can use them) traveler's cheques (and $2 per $100 for double signature that two people can use), so that's definitely not cheap either. The most cost effective, and probably least diffucult, way to go would be to charge everything to your room and carry around a bit of cash for places that don't take cards.

 

[hercamore]

I do a combination of cc, cash and travelers checks, and disney $$.

Our travelers checks are free at our credit union for the single name checks. However, I travel with my two young adult children and have gone to purchasing the double name travelers checks for .50/100. (just in case) something happened to me and they needed cash.

I only get about $400 in travelers checks for emergencies.

I usally pay for meals with the cc, or disney dollars wihich I buy in advance at tDS and of course, use the CC for room and car rental chg.

herc.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by hercamore
I do a combination of cc, cash and travelers checks, and disney $$.

Our travelers checks are free at our credit union for the single name checks. However, I travel with my two young adult children and have gone to purchasing the double name travelers checks for .50/100. (just in case) something happened to me and they needed cash.

I only get about $400 in travelers checks for emergencies.

I usally pay for meals with the cc, or disney dollars wihich I buy in advance at tDS and of course, use the CC for room and car rental chg.

herc.

I charge everything back to the room and pay at the end of my stay with a check.
I have cash for the kiosks that don't accept a room charge and get my cash when I grocery shop using my ATM card and opting for cash back at the POS terminal.
The cost of using the ATM is 2.00, I get 5 free foreign ATM transactions per month with my bank.
I don't use TCs at Disney, with the chargeback to the room feature for onsite guest, it does not make sense for me.

 

[alaskantwinks]

I decided I'll probably get a little cash at a local ATM to save on fees, for our trip down since we have 3 flights to get to Orlando, and only one of them will have a meal! We'll get there just in time for dinner! Anyway, I think we can do the credit card or debit card thing for most of our purchases....I don't really want to deal with traveler's checks or cash too much either. Thanks for your input! looking forward to the warm weather, its getting cold up here! (might have snowed by the time we return next month) Kelly

 

[Taja]

I do a combination of travelers cheques, cash and credit card. Anything I charge to the credit card I have to have available in cash in my account or save equivalent travelers cheques to cover the charges when I get my statement. Talk about frugal! I rarely carry a balance on my CC, although I usually carry a small one every 18 months or so to let the issuer make a few dollars on me!


Taja

 

[Tamie]

When we went we put a bunch of cash in an account at the Resort and just used of card (hotel keycard, park pass) to purchase stuff in the park and carried little money on our persons. That worked out well. I even let my 12yo daughter have it on her card. Worked out real well and was able to ask for a printout of charges on it whenever we wanted.

You can also hook up a credit card to it. Works the same way.

 

[memymomonica]

We used cash and traveler's checks. Traveler's checks were very easy to use, everywhere. It was just easier for us. You can cash them at your resort, and can be used just like cash at stores, restaurants etc. I think it just depends what you are comfortable with. I think it helped me control my spending by looking in the wallet and seeing traveler's checks as oppossed to cash. They spend the same, but just made me think about things more.

 

[PoohBear_3]

I just so happen to know of someone who just happened to be at WDW during the blackout and couldn't access her band because of it. Kind of a fluke sort of thing with that happening but maybe food for thought.

Terra

 

[cboudre1]

We do a combination of traveler's checks and ATM. We pay for the room with traveler's checks. We take money for 2 days at a time from the ATM. We end up spending around $10 in ATM fees, but I like the convenience.

 

[Otto's Doll]

We used either the room charge option, or our debit card for just about everything. We got some travelor's checks from AAA - no charge for 2 signatures (we have AAAplus) so we would have cash, and used our debit card to pay off the room charges every few days. We used the debit card like a credit card so there was no $ limit on transactions per day.