Travelex Offers American Express Travelers Checks

Travelers checks are important to any person traveling abroad. I found that out the hard way when I was robbed in Lima. American Express travelers checks can be reimbursed anywhere in the world, even if they are stolen. Just leave the numbers (along with a copy of your passport, credit card numbers and itinerary) with someone at home. My $200 worth really got me out of a tight spot. Really, $300 would have been better. An emergency passport is $97 and a change fee for a plane ticket is about $100. So $200 doesn’t leave you much room to live on until you get home. Anyway, American Express has partnered with Travelex, the “world’s largest foreign exchange specialist,” to offer American Express Travelers Cheques through its global agency network. Good idea. You don’t want to use them as your primary source of income abroad, as the cashing fees will eat in to your funding pretty severely. But they’re a great plan for a back up.

According to the press release:

American Express Travelers Cheques are recognized worldwide, and are available for purchase through 12,200 selling partners and 148,000 locations in 180 countries. In the U.S. they can be used like cash at retail locations, hotels and restaurants. Outside the U.S. they can be used like cash at many locations, or exchanged for local currency at banks, currency exchanges, and American Express Travel Service locations. American Express Travelers Cheques are refundable if lost or stolen, usually within 24 hours, and offer worldwide passport and credit card replacement assistance at no additional cost, as well as American Express customer service support worldwide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For more information, visit www.travelex.com.