Travelers checks still exist as valid paper instruments, but they are no longer sold. American Express, the last major issuer, stopped printing new ones and its website states plainly that travelers cheques “are no longer issued and so cannot be purchased.”1American Express. Travelers Cheques Every check the company ever printed is still honored, with no expiration date. So if you already have some, they hold their full face value. If you were hoping to buy some for a trip, you will need to look at other options.
Can You Still Buy Travelers Checks
Not from any major issuer. American Express was the last one standing, and it has closed the door on new sales. Thomas Cook, Bank of America, and Chase ended their programs years earlier, and AAA no longer offers them to members either.
A handful of small banks or credit unions may still issue them through limited arrangements, but American Express itself calls locating an issuer “the most challenging step” in getting travelers checks today.2American Express. All About Travelers Checks and Alternatives For anyone planning a trip, the realistic answer is to use a prepaid travel card or a debit card with no foreign transaction fees rather than hunt for a seller.
How to Cash Travelers Checks You Already Have
The simplest route is your own bank. Deposit the checks into your account the same way you would deposit a regular check. American Express advises confirming first that your bank accepts travelers check deposits, and warns that fees may apply.1American Express. Travelers Cheques Most large banks will take them if the checks are in your name. Expect a hold of several business days while the bank verifies the instrument.
You can also cash them at a full-service bank branch or a currency exchange bureau. Bring a valid photo ID. Federal regulations require financial institutions to verify the identity of anyone involved in a travelers check transaction of $3,000 or more, typically through a driver’s license or similar document.3eCFR. 31 CFR 1010.415 Purchases of Bank Checks and Drafts, Cashiers Checks, Money Orders and Travelers Checks Below that threshold, most institutions still ask for ID as a matter of policy.
Fees vary. Banks that cash travelers checks for their own account holders often do so for free or for a small flat fee. Independent currency bureaus tend to charge more, sometimes a percentage of the face value. Call ahead before making a trip to the branch.
Retail stores, restaurants, and hotels almost never accept travelers checks as direct payment anymore. Point-of-sale systems are built for cards and digital payments, and cashiers have no training to verify a paper instrument. Treat travelers checks as something you deposit or convert to cash first, not as a payment method.
Do Not Countersign Until You Are at the Teller Window
A travelers check works through a two-signature system. You signed the top line when you bought it. The second signature goes on the bottom line at the moment of redemption, and the teller watches you sign so they can confirm you are the original purchaser.4Cornell Law Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 3-104 – Negotiable Instrument If both lines are already signed when you hand the check over, some institutions will refuse it because they cannot verify who wrote the second signature. That does not permanently void the check, but it creates delays and requires extra documentation.
Checks From an Issuer That No Longer Exists
If your checks came from a company that has since merged, rebranded, or collapsed, the checks are not automatically worthless. Their obligations were often underwritten by separate financial entities, and a successor company may honor them.
Start with your own bank. Try depositing the checks as you would any other. If the bank declines, ask which company underwrote the check and contact that entity directly. In some cases you will need to mail the physical checks along with proof of identity and proof of purchase, and allow several weeks for a response. Any original purchase receipt or carbon slip you kept helps considerably.
If Your Checks Are Lost or Stolen
The refund guarantee is what travelers checks were built around, and it still applies to outstanding American Express checks. Call American Express at 1-800-221-7282 as soon as you notice the loss.1American Express. Travelers Cheques You will need the serial numbers, which is why every issuer told buyers to record them separately from the checks themselves.
The claim form asks for the following information:5American Express. Refund Claim Form
- The prefix letters and serial number for each missing check.
- A passport, driver’s license, or government-issued photo ID.
- The date, amount, and location of the original purchase.
- The date, time, location, and circumstances of the loss, with a police report number if you filed one.
- Whether the checks were signed, countersigned, or blank when they went missing.
You can fax the completed form to 1-800-417-0060 or mail it to American Express in Salt Lake City. If approved, a company check arrives by regular mail within about 21 business days. Without serial numbers, the process is much harder. If you still hold travelers checks, write down the serial numbers now and store them somewhere separate.
They Do Not Expire, but States Can Claim Them
Travelers checks have no expiration date. American Express explicitly states its checks remain backed by the company regardless of age.1American Express. Travelers Cheques Checks from other issuers generally follow the same rule under the Uniform Commercial Code, which defines a travelers check as an instrument payable on demand.4Cornell Law Institute. Uniform Commercial Code 3-104 – Negotiable Instrument
The real deadline is escheatment. Every state has unclaimed property laws that require issuers to turn over the value of dormant travelers checks to the state after a set number of years with no activity. The typical dormancy period is 15 years, though it varies by state. Once the funds have been escheated, you can no longer redeem the check through the issuer. You would instead file a claim with your state’s unclaimed property office, a process that can take months and requires documentation proving you are the rightful owner. The practical takeaway: if you have old travelers checks in a drawer, cash them now rather than later.
Reporting Rules at the U.S. Border
Travelers checks count as monetary instruments under federal law. If you carry travelers checks worth more than $10,000 in total when entering or leaving the United States, you must report them to U.S. Customs and Border Protection by filing FinCEN Form 105.6U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Money and Other Monetary Instruments The $10,000 threshold applies to the combined total of all monetary instruments you are carrying, cash included, and it applies collectively to families or groups traveling together.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 United States Code 5316 – Reports on Exporting and Importing Monetary Instruments Failing to file can lead to civil penalties, criminal fines up to $500,000, imprisonment up to ten years, and seizure of the instruments themselves.
What to Use Instead
Prepaid travel cards loaded with foreign currency let you lock in an exchange rate before a trip and spend through ATMs and card terminals abroad. International debit cards on the Visa or Mastercard network work at millions of locations worldwide and give you real-time transaction alerts on your phone. Many banks now offer cards with no foreign transaction fees, removing one of the hidden costs that made travelers checks expensive in practice.
Mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay store your cards digitally and support contactless payments in most countries. If a card is compromised, you can freeze it instantly in the app instead of calling a hotline and waiting for replacement checks to be shipped.
For anyone who liked keeping a separate pool of trip money away from their main bank account, a prepaid travel card is the closest match to what a travelers check used to do. You load a fixed amount, spend from it abroad, and your primary accounts stay untouched if the card is lost or stolen. Some cards also let you hold multiple currencies at once.