[pct-l] Travelers cheques/checks

[Bob Bankhead]

Large denomination bills ($50 and $100) are likely to be refused, especially when you try to use them for small purchases. Forget trying to use anything larger. People are naturally suspicious of them. Some places now refuse even to take Traveler's Checks (of any kind); there's just too much counterfeiting. It's a hit and miss thing.

In addition to whatever you carry to cover expenses from home to the trailhead, I'd suggest you carry $200 in American Express Traveler's Checks, another $100 in 10 and 20 dollar bills, and 8 quarters. Quarters are worth their weight in gold as that's what the pay showers, laundries, and telephones accept. Don't expect to find a change machine in a small town or state park. Save your credit card (and the associated fee) for when nothing else works.

Also, include additional AE Traveler's Checks in selected resupply boxes. I've also been known to add two $20 bills to those boxes because sometimes only cash works. I once had to buy a ride out of a remote campground in the Sierras and the cost was $100 - cash only up front before we got in the truck.

Keep your cash, credit card, passport, and the like in a ziplock bag in a secure internal pack pocket (if you have one) or on your person in one of those neck wallets (the kind you wear around your waist tends to get uncomfortable under your pack's hipbelt). NEVER leave your pack without putting that ziplock bag in your shirt or pants pocket. Where you go, it goes. The price of failure can be extreme - especially for non-residents who lose their passport and other travel documents.

By the way, I think you need a new credit card company. Their policy sucks!

Wandering Bob


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mark Jernigan 
  To: Craig Stanton ; pctl 
  Sent: Monday, April 09, 2007 12:15 PM
  Subject: Re: [pct-l] Travelers cheques/checks


  Craig     ...not sure if this would be a sound method on the PCT but during my AT thru in 2003 I carried a debit card and would get "cash back" ocassionally so that I always had a sufficient amount of cash when needed.  Rather than carry a big "wad" of money I typically asked for $50 bills.
     
    So, I guess I wonder now if getting "cash back" using a debit card is still a viable option ??
     
    Footslogger (Mark)

  Craig Stanton <craigstanton at mac.com> wrote:
    Hi All,
  My bank is planning on charging me a fee every time I use my credit 
  card in America. In an effort to avoid that, and avoid carrying large 
  wads of cash I thought I would try travelers cheques. It is likely 
  that the small towns along the way would cash them? If not, do most 
  of the ATMs give cash out on credit-cards or are they mostly for 
  debit cards like Switch/Eftpos systems else where?

  Cheers,
  Craig
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