Do Travelers Checks Expire? Validity and How to Cash Them

Traveler’s checks do not expire. The major issuers, including American Express and Visa, designed them without an expiration date, so the face value stays valid no matter how long ago you bought them.¹ Cashing an old one today is harder than it used to be, though. New checks are no longer being sold, fewer merchants accept them, and if enough time has passed, the money may have moved from the issuer to a state treasury under unclaimed-property law.

Why They Never Expire

When you buy a traveler’s check, the issuer takes your money and prints a promise on the paper to pay the face value whenever you present it. That obligation sits on the issuer’s books as a liability until you cash or spend the check, whether that happens next month or 40 years later. American Express states plainly that its traveler’s cheques have no expiration date and remain fully backed by the company.²

American Express has stopped selling new traveler’s checks, and most of the partner banks that issued Visa traveler’s checks have discontinued sales as well. The discontinuation applies only to new purchases. Checks already in your possession remain valid and redeemable.²

Where You Can Still Cash Them

Debit cards and mobile payments have largely replaced traveler’s checks, so cashing one now takes a bit more effort. Three options are worth trying before you go to the issuer directly.

Your bank. Some banks will let account holders deposit traveler’s checks, but policies differ and fees may apply. Call ahead.²
A merchant. In principle, you can spend a traveler’s check like cash at any business that agrees to take it, signing the lower line in front of the cashier so they can compare it with your original signature on the upper line. In practice, most retailers no longer accept them. Confirm with the store first.²
A foreign exchange partner. If the checks are denominated in a foreign currency, an exchange office may convert them to local currency. Commissions and limits vary by country and provider.²

If none of those work, you can go straight to the issuer for a refund, or, for very old checks, to a state unclaimed-property office.

When the State May Be Holding Your Money

A traveler’s check never expires on its own, but state unclaimed-property laws can move where the money sits. Under these laws, modeled on the Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, an issuer must treat a check as abandoned once no one has cashed it or contacted the issuer about it for a set dormancy period. For traveler’s checks, that period is generally 15 years from the date of issuance, with variations by state.

Once the dormancy period ends, the issuer turns the funds over to a state treasury in a process called escheatment. Federal law decides which state gets the money: usually the state of your last known address in the issuer’s records, or, if none is on file, the state where the issuer is incorporated.³

Your money isn’t lost after escheatment. The state holds it for you. But you have to file a claim with the state’s unclaimed-property office rather than the issuer.

Filing a Refund Claim With the Issuer

If your checks are recent enough that the funds haven’t been escheated, or the issuer still shows them on its books, file directly with the issuer. American Express accepts refund claims online through its website or by phone at 1-800-221-7282, and you can also submit the paperwork by mail.²⁴

For Visa traveler’s checks, contact the bank that originally issued them. If you can’t find that bank’s contact information, Visa’s consumer support line can point you in the right direction.⁵

Whichever issuer you’re dealing with, be ready to supply:

The serial numbers printed on each check
The face value of each check
The name of the issuer shown on the check
At least two forms of identification, such as a driver’s license and a passport⁴

If you still have the original purchase receipt, include it. Approved refunds are paid by mailed check or direct deposit. Some claim types, such as one filed after the original purchaser has died, may require extra documents like an affidavit.

Filing a Claim With a State Unclaimed-Property Office

If the funds have already been transferred to a state, you claim them from that state, not the issuer. Most states run a free searchable online database of unclaimed property indexed by owner name. MissingMoney.com pulls records from participating states into a single search, which can save time.

To complete the claim, submit serial numbers if you have them, identification, and any other documents the state requests. States do not charge a fee. If a third-party “claim finder” contacts you offering to recover the money for a percentage, know that you can file the same claim yourself for free.

Some states pay interest on funds they hold; policies vary. Processing typically takes several weeks to a few months.

If You’ve Lost the Serial Numbers

Serial numbers are the single most useful piece of information for a redemption claim, so losing them adds a step. The numbers are printed on the face of each check, so this really only becomes an issue when the checks themselves are lost or stolen and you never wrote the numbers down.

American Express still accepts claims by phone at 1-800-221-7282 when documentation is incomplete.² A representative can try to locate your purchase record from other details: the store or bank where you bought the checks, the approximate date, the denomination, and your identification. Visa follows a similar process, asking where and when you bought the checks to trace them.⁵

If the funds have been escheated, you may still find your name in a state’s database without serial numbers, since state records are usually indexed by owner name and last known address.

Lost or Stolen Checks

Theft protection was one of the original reasons to carry traveler’s checks, and that protection still applies to checks currently in circulation. If yours go missing:

Report the loss to the issuer immediately. American Express’s line is 1-800-221-7282.²
Provide the serial numbers. This is why issuers advise keeping a written record of them separately from the checks themselves.
Follow up with a completed refund claim form and identification, online or by mail.

For Visa checks, contact the issuing bank first, then Visa support if the bank is unreachable. Refunds for lost or stolen checks can often be arranged within 24 hours, subject to certain conditions.⁵

Checks From Defunct Issuers

If the company that issued your checks no longer exists, the checks may still be redeemable, but the path depends on what happened to the business. When an issuer is acquired, the buyer usually takes on the obligation to honor outstanding checks. Travelex, for example, purchased Thomas Cook’s traveler’s check business before Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, and Travelex handles redemption of those checks.

If the issuer went through bankruptcy with no successor, the funds may have been escheated during the liquidation. Searching your state’s unclaimed-property database is the best first step in that case. Where no successor exists and no state holds the funds, recovery becomes significantly harder and may require legal help.

Foreign-Currency Traveler’s Checks

Some traveler’s checks were issued in euros, British pounds, Japanese yen, or other currencies rather than U.S. dollars. The face value stays in that currency, so what you receive in dollars depends on the exchange rate at the time of redemption, not the rate on the day you bought them.

Commissions typically apply when converting foreign-currency checks, and both the fees and the exchange rates vary by provider and country. Local exchange limits may also apply.² To redeem foreign-currency checks in the United States, contact American Express or the issuing bank directly about the conversion process and any fees.

Inherited Traveler’s Checks

Traveler’s checks found among a deceased relative’s belongings are still valid. American Express handles these claims through the same customer service line, 1-800-221-7282; call to start the claim.² You’ll need a valid photo ID and, depending on the claim, additional documents such as proof of your relationship to the original purchaser or estate paperwork.

If enough time has passed, the money may already sit with a state treasury. Search the relevant state’s unclaimed-property database under the deceased person’s name before contacting the issuer.

1
American Express. Do Checks Expire
2
American Express US. Travelers Cheques
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Title 12 Chapter 26 – Disposition of Abandoned Money Orders and Traveler’s Checks
4
American Express. Refund Claim Form for Lost or Stolen Travelers Cheques
5
Visa. Visa Travellers Cheques