Are Traveler’s Checks Still Used or Accepted? Where to Cash Them

Traveler’s checks are still accepted in a limited way: existing checks remain valid indefinitely and can be cashed, deposited, or exchanged for local currency at thousands of locations, but most everyday merchants no longer take them as payment. American Express, the last major issuer, stopped selling new ones, though it continues to honor every check already in circulation.

Where You Can Still Cash Them

If you have traveler’s checks sitting in a drawer or left over from an old trip, you have four practical ways to convert them:

Redeem directly through American Express, either online or by calling 1-800-221-7282.
Deposit them into your bank account. Many banks accept them from account holders, sometimes with a fee. Non-account holders cashing checks at a branch can generally expect a modest service charge, though some banks waive it on small amounts.
Exchange them for local currency at one of the thousands of foreign exchange partners worldwide. American Express maintains an online locator for participating locations.
Spend them at a merchant that still accepts paper checks. Call ahead before you rely on this.¹

Commission charges vary by country and by exchange partner, and some foreign banks cap the amount you can exchange per visit under local anti-money-laundering rules.² When you cash a check abroad, you receive the day’s exchange rate minus whatever commission the partner charges.

Visa-Branded Checks

For Visa-branded traveler’s checks, contact the bank that originally issued them, listed on your purchase agreement. If that paperwork is gone, Visa’s global contact line is 1-303-967-1052, or you can email vtc@visa.com to have your redemption request routed.³

Checks From Issuers That No Longer Exist

If your checks came from a brand that has since folded, you’ll need to find the successor institution. Some successors charge a fee to process the redemption.

Which Merchants Still Take Them

Very few. International hotel chains and some upscale retailers are the most likely to accept traveler’s checks, because they have the systems and trained staff to verify security features and process paper instruments. Smaller businesses generally refuse them: the verification slows down the register, and most retailers no longer train staff on the process.

When a merchant does accept one, the check functions like cash. You hand it over, and the merchant provides change in local currency if the check’s face value exceeds the purchase price. Some merchants tack on a processing fee or apply a less favorable exchange rate than a bank or currency exchange would offer.² Merchants who do take American Express traveler’s checks can verify them electronically through an online tool or by calling an interactive voice response line.⁴

Why the decline? Chip-enabled credit cards, mobile payment apps, and global ATM networks now offer the same fraud protection with none of the paperwork, and electronic payments clear instantly while a traveler’s check needs manual verification. That combination is what pushed American Express to stop issuing new checks.¹

What You Need at the Counter

Every traveler’s check uses a dual-signature system. You sign the upper line when you first receive the check. You sign the second line in front of the merchant or teller at the time of use, and they compare the two signatures. Under the Uniform Commercial Code, that countersignature is a legal condition of payment, and without it the check is not properly payable.⁵⁶

You also need a valid government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driver’s license, and the name on the ID must match the name on the check. If the signatures don’t match or the ID doesn’t line up, the transaction gets refused.

Lost, Stolen, or Inherited Checks

The refund guarantee is the reason traveler’s checks existed in the first place, and American Express still honors it. If yours go missing:

Call American Express customer service at 1-800-221-7282 immediately. International numbers are listed on the company’s website.
Have your serial numbers ready. They are essential for the claim, which is why American Express recommends recording them and keeping the list somewhere separate from the checks.
Be prepared to provide a photo ID, copies of the voided checks if you have them, and a completed refund claim form. The original purchase receipt speeds things up.¹

Inherited checks follow the same claims line. Call 1-800-221-7282, and expect to provide a valid photo ID, copies of the checks, and a refund claim form. Additional documentation may apply depending on the circumstances.

Old Checks and the Escheatment Risk

Traveler’s checks do not expire. A check issued decades ago still holds its full face value, and American Express continues to back all outstanding checks regardless of age.¹ The UCC classifies traveler’s checks as negotiable instruments payable on demand, so the issuer’s obligation doesn’t lapse over time as long as the check is presented properly with a matching countersignature.⁵

There is one catch. Traveler’s checks that go unredeemed for long enough can be turned over to a state’s unclaimed property program. Each state sets its own dormancy period, typically somewhere between 3 and 15 years. Once the check is escheated, the issuer transfers the face value to the state treasurer, and the check itself can no longer be redeemed through American Express or Visa. The money isn’t gone, but you’ll have to claim it through your state treasurer’s unclaimed property office, which usually means identification and proof of ownership. If you’re holding old checks you don’t plan to use soon, cashing them now avoids the detour.

Reporting Requirements When You Travel

Federal law treats traveler’s checks as monetary instruments at the border. If you carry more than $10,000 in traveler’s checks into or out of the United States, either alone or combined with cash and other monetary instruments, you must report the total to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on FinCEN Form 105.⁷ The $10,000 threshold is the total you carry at one time, not a per-check figure.⁸

The form can be filed electronically on the FinCEN website or on paper, presented to a CBP officer before departure. Failing to report is serious: the government can seize the unreported instruments, and a willful violation carries criminal penalties of up to $250,000 in fines and five years in prison. If the violation is part of a broader pattern of illegal activity involving more than $100,000 within a 12-month period, penalties rise to $500,000 and ten years.⁹

1
American Express. Travelers Cheques – Travel – American Express US
2
American Express. Redemption of American Express Travelers Cheques
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Visa. Travellers Cheques Contact Us
4
American Express. Acceptance of American Express Travelers Cheques
5
Legal Information Institute. UCC 3-104 – Negotiable Instrument
6
Bank of China. Travelers Cheque
7
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Money and Other Monetary Instruments
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 5316 – Reports on Exporting and Importing Monetary Instruments
9
GovInfo. 31 USC 5322 – Criminal Penalties