Travelers cheques?

Yes people travel with them. Do you accept them?
Had a couple show up today wanting 2 nights. Couldn't help. Told them a couple of places to try.
Saw them wandering around downtown later on and asked if they'd found a place.
They were all set for accommodations but they could not get any store or bank to accept their travelers cheques. (The b&b doesn't take cc so they were ok there.)
The one bank they just tried said they didn't know what a travelers cheque was so they couldn't help them. What??? A bank??? A national chain bank???
The hotel in Boston refused to take them until they told them it was all they had. They had to get the GM to authorize it.
We only get them occasionally now but we do take them. They are almost always from the UK. Amex cheques.
The guests are going to send a stern letter to amex when they get home. Good for them. They've got thousands of dollars in cheques and even banks won't cash them.

where were they from? in the UK we are told to take travellers cheques and then change them periodically as they are safer when traveling in the USA rather than carrying huge chunks of cash.

WOW! But I really DO understand it. There is so much fraud now - who really KNOWS when it is the real deal and when it is a phony? Last time I traveled with Travelers Checks was in 1986. I did take all cash when I went to Europe - but I kept the majority of my cash tucked away in a wallet with my passport in a place one would have to get REAL up close and personal to get to. No, it did NOT need to be laundered.

Joey Camb said:

where were they from? in the UK we are told to take travellers cheques and then change them periodically as they are safer when traveling in the USA rather than carrying huge chunks of cash..

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From your neck of the woods. They were told the same thing. Just use them or go to a bank.
It's kind of embarrassing that no one at the bank knew what they were or were just shoving the guests out the door with that excuse.

Do not accept them at all and do not see them anymore. Years ago I was sent a fake one and it was so good that neither police or bank could tell. Did not cash it - it takes 1 month to clear one and the sender never ask for it back - must have been fake.

We accept them, we just pay them into our bank account.
Haven't seen one in years though!!!!

I accept them, gladly. Put them through my personal account though. And I travel with them sometimes as well, since my bank offers them to me for free. Never had a problem cashing them. In Europe I keep a list of banks that have a deal with Amex for commission free cashing.
Don't see them very much any more, though.

We stopped accepting them when all the articles of travel check fraud came out. We stopped getting them for our vacations about the same time.
Very surprised about the bank however. I would be tempted to call and speak with the branch mgr on Monday.