Travellers check card

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Has anyone used the American express TC Card?
If so, how do you keep a check on how much money is held on the card?
can you check in cashpoints or is it only on the Amex web site?

TIA

 

[wilma-bride]

You can check on the web site and also there is a number you can call too. To be honest, we only used the card for large purchases (shopping and meals) and I just kept all the receipts from the day together and did a quick tot up each night, to see how much we had left.

We did find it worked really well for us, though, and we loved that we didn't have to mess about with signing TCs and worrying about finding enough change/cash to leave a tip - you can just add the tip on to the receipt when you sign

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Thanks Joh.
My bank is giving an offer on this TC card, four cards total, each can have up to £3,000 and no joining fee

I might try it out

 

[Ruth B]

Hi
can you withdraw cash with these. If so do you get charged?
also, did you have any probelm using it, as with the Travelex one it has a Visa Electon sign?
Thanks

 

[oceanscape]

I've always found the travellers cheque cards to have much worse exchange rates compared with using a credit/debit card or just getting the paper travellers cheques.

 

[wilma-bride]

I've always found the travellers cheque cards to have much worse exchange rates compared with using a credit/debit card or just getting the paper travellers cheques.

I am confused by your post - when you buy the TC card you load it with the currency you want, so in this case it would be $

You use it just like you would cash or paper TCs - the only difference is the exchange rate you get when you buy it or reload it and, if you shop around, you can sometimes get a pretty good deal. Last year, when we initially bought ours, the exchange rate was $1.64 to the £. We loaded $2000 and got an extra $250 free. It worked out that we got an exchange rate of $1.81 when you factored in the free dollars - hardly a WORSE exchange rate

Ruth B, you can withdraw cash with them - up to $250 at a time but there is a $2.50 charge per transaction. We withdrew cash on ours just once when we hadn't taken enough cash out with us but it's better not to if you can help it.

 

[oceanscape]

I am confused by your post - when you buy the TC card you load it with the currency you want, so in this case it would be $

You use it just like you would cash or paper TCs - the only difference is the exchange rate you get when you buy it or reload it and, if you shop around, you can sometimes get a pretty good deal. Last year, when we initially bought ours, the exchange rate was $1.64 to the £. We loaded $2000 and got an extra $250 free. It worked out that we got an exchange rate of $1.81 when you factored in the free dollars - hardly a WORSE exchange rate

I apologise if I didn't make myself very clear. I simply meant that the exchange rate I had been quoted for topping up the card with dollars always tended to be worse than the exchange rate for simply getting the dollars in cash or as paper travellers cheques.

For example, the NatWest travellers cheque card offers an exchange rate of around $1.89 right now, yet you can get $1.93 if you just want cash or paper cheques.

I have looked around at a fair few different TC cards, but none seem to offer a comparable exchange rate. I appreciate that $0.04 isn't much difference, but it can quickly add up.

 

[chipndalefan]

we got an american express travellers cheque card last sept, as we were tepted by the free money we got for loading a certain amount.

at this point the card was new, and we found when we got to orlando no one would accept it in either disneyworld or on the 192. in the end we ended up just using the card to withdraw money from cashmachines. the free money we had gotten for loading the card ended up been spent on the atm charges, so it wasnt really a benefit, and as for the conveinience it was a pain keep looking for an atm.

looking at the other posts it seams the situation has improved recently, but i just thought i add my experience.

next time il do what i normally do, take travellers cheques and cash them for disny dollars throughout the holiday at the hotel

 

[wilma-bride]

we got an american express travellers cheque card last sept, as we were tepted by the free money we got for loading a certain amount.

at this point the card was new, and we found when we got to orlando no one would accept it in either disneyworld or on the 192. in the end we ended up just using the card to withdraw money from cashmachines. the free money we had gotten for loading the card ended up been spent on the atm charges, so it wasnt really a benefit, and as for the conveinience it was a pain keep looking for an atm.

looking at the other posts it seams the situation has improved recently, but i just thought i add my experience.

next time il do what i normally do, take travellers cheques and cash them for disny dollars throughout the holiday at the hotel

Now you really have surprised me - we used it every single day at WDW, on International Drive and at Universal and, not once, was it refused. And that was in October - I know that Mandymouse used hers last August extensively and had no problems with it either.

ETA: As far as I was aware, the whole point of introducing the TC card is that paper TCs are eventually going to be phased out. Therefore, looking further into the future, you may not have much choice - it will be either a TC card, debit/credit card or good old cash. I know which I'd rather use

 

[oceanscape]

ETA: As far as I was aware, the whole point of introducing the TC card is that paper TCs are eventually going to be phased out. Therefore, looking further into the future, you may not have much choice - it will be either a TC card, debit/credit card or good old cash. I know which I'd rather use

I think its a great idea that paper TCs will be phased out, having a card will be a million times easier. Just don't see why the exchange rate for loading the card isn't the same as the rate for getting paper cheques.

 

[Ruth B]

Now you really have surprised me - we used it every single day at WDW, on International Drive and at Universal and, not once, was it refused. And that was in October - I know that Mandymouse used hers last August extensively and had no problems with it either.

hi
can i check which card use used, e.g american express, travelex.
do you think this could make a diff in where they accept them?

 

[wilma-bride]

Ours was American Express - I don't think the type of card it is makes a difference as you use it just as you would travellers cheques.

 

[kristieuk]

I am a bit confused by some of the replies here. The American Express TC card is basically just like a preloaded credit card - and you can use it anywhere they accept Amex. There should be no difficulties using it, unless the particular merchant doesn't accept Amex. I know other banks are offering similar cards now - and I assume they will be Amex or Visa or Mastercard - so you just use the card wherever these methods of payment are accepted.

In terms of checking the balance, you are limited to checking online, or using the telephone number. We just tend to keep a rough log of spending, rounding up the amounts.

The one down side is that Amex tend not offer the best exchange rate around (although no worse for the TC card than for currency or paper TC's) - but compared to Travelex online and Thomas Exchange. When we bought ours, we took advantage of the $250 free, and so the rate was awesome.

We have got a $ account now and so use the debit card we have with that - and sterling transfers into the account attract something close to the Interbank rate - so I doubt we will continue to use the Amex TC card.

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
We have had Amex TC cards since Nov.05 and have never had a problem using them. Also when we used them at Publix and Target stores the receipt had the remaining credit available printed on it. Last week Thomas Cook in our home town were offering a rate of $1.94 to reload the card. Not sure if this is just a local offer or nationwide.

Mick.

 

[angel659]

When we originally ordered our TC card we got a good deal with free dollars, but when we went to NYC there were no offers! Also we had problems with paying for meals, because they would for some reason take more off than we had orginally signed for and then two days later it would correct itself. when the money went through. Now this we found could be a problem if you were starting to run out of money and people were taking more off your card initially. For instance we had to withdraw cash whilst we were out there. Two weeks later we found we have $43 left on our card, once all the transactions went through. I dont know if this happens in Orlando.

As mentioned we could of received a better deal with traveller cheques paper wise and cash than the card. We will take half of travellers cheques, bit of cash and some on the card. I wasnt impressed with the card on my last holiday. Maybe NYC have a different way of processing the cards than Orlando. I think the fact that the resturants take extra off (pending transaction) is something to consider.