Can You Still Get Travelers Checks? Cashing, Rules, and Alternatives

No, you can’t buy traveler’s checks anymore. American Express, the last major issuer, has stopped selling them and now only handles redemption of checks already in circulation.¹ Visa and Mastercard exited the product years earlier. If you already hold traveler’s checks, they remain valid with no expiration and can still be cashed. If you’re planning a trip, you’ll need to use one of the payment methods that replaced them.

Why They’re No Longer Sold

American Express states plainly on its website that “Travelers Cheques are no longer issued and so cannot be purchased.”¹ Credit cards, debit cards with global ATM access, and mobile payment apps took over the job of moving money safely across borders, and demand for paper checks fell to the point that banks and credit unions phased them out.

Being discontinued doesn’t mean worthless. Existing checks are still recognized negotiable instruments and continue to be honored by the issuers that backed them.

Cashing Traveler’s Checks You Already Have

American Express offers online redemption for checks denominated in U.S. dollars, euros, Canadian dollars, British pounds, Australian dollars, and Japanese yen. You can also redeem by phone at 1-800-221-7282.¹

Many banks will still let account holders deposit traveler’s checks, but confirm with yours first, because policies vary and fees may apply.¹ Currency exchange offices worldwide also accept them, with commission rates that differ by country and provider. Abroad, American Express maintains a network of exchange locations that can convert checks into local currency.

For checks issued under the Visa or Mastercard name, large banks can generally cash them, or you can contact the original issuer. If the issuing bank has since merged or closed, the successor institution typically still honors the checks; going to the parent or successor is usually the most reliable route if a local branch turns you away.

Don’t count on spending them directly. American Express advises holders to check with the merchant before trying to pay with a traveler’s check.¹ Most retailers no longer train staff to process them and many point-of-sale systems can’t handle the transaction. Convert to cash or deposit into your account instead.

They Don’t Expire, With One Caveat

American Express traveler’s checks have no expiration date, and the company confirms that existing checks “remain backed by American Express” regardless of when they were purchased.¹ A check from a trip 10 or 20 years ago is still worth its full face value.

State unclaimed property laws are the exception worth knowing about. Every state has an abandonment period, typically 3 to 15 years of inactivity, after which the issuer may be required to turn the funds over to the state. If that has happened to your checks, you file a claim with the relevant state’s unclaimed property office rather than with the original issuer. Dormancy periods and procedures vary by state.

Presenting a Check: The Two-Signature Rule

When you first received the checks, you signed the upper line as a specimen. To cash or use one now, you sign the lower line in front of the person accepting it, and they compare the two signatures.² If a check was already countersigned before presentation, or the signatures don’t match, the acceptor should ask you to sign again on the reverse.³ Expect to show a government-issued photo ID matching the name on the check. Refusing to countersign in front of the acceptor will get the transaction denied.

If Your Checks Are Lost or Stolen

The refund guarantee that made traveler’s checks appealing in the first place still applies. American Express states that lost or stolen checks may be refunded, subject to terms and conditions, provided you can supply identification and proof of purchase.¹

Report the loss to American Express at 1-800-221-7282 with your serial numbers ready. Without the serial numbers, the process gets much harder, which is why issuers have always recommended keeping the purchase receipt separate from the checks.¹

To complete a claim you’ll generally need:

A valid government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driver’s license.
The serial numbers from each missing check, ideally from your purchase receipt.
Details of when, where, and how the checks were lost.
A completed refund claim form from the issuer.

Whether the check was signed on the upper line at purchase, and whether it had already been countersigned before it went missing, both affect the claim. Countersigned checks are harder to replace because someone else could potentially cash them.

Carrying Them Across the U.S. Border

If you’re traveling with old checks, federal law requires you to report monetary instruments totaling more than $10,000 when entering or leaving the United States. Traveler’s checks count toward that threshold, and it’s a combined total across cash, traveler’s checks, money orders, and other negotiable instruments.⁴

You file the report on FinCEN Form 105, which asks about the origin, destination, and route of the funds along with the amount and type of instruments.⁵ Failing to file, or filing false information, allows the government to seize and forfeit the unreported instruments,⁶ and can bring additional civil or criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment.⁴ The requirement applies whether you’re a U.S. citizen or a foreign visitor.

What to Use Instead

For a trip today, the tools that replaced traveler’s checks offer similar protection against theft and loss without the paper:

Credit cards with no foreign transaction fees. Widely accepted abroad, with built-in fraud protection and the ability to dispute unauthorized charges. Look for cards that waive the typical 1–3% foreign transaction surcharge.
Debit cards on a global ATM network. Useful for pulling local currency at your destination. Check your bank’s international ATM fees and daily withdrawal limits before you go.
Prepaid travel cards. Loaded before the trip and usable at merchants and ATMs, sometimes letting you lock in exchange rates across multiple currencies in advance.
Mobile payment apps such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, accepted in many countries and adding a security layer because your card number isn’t shared with the merchant.

1
American Express. Travelers Cheques | Travel | American Express US
2
American Express. All About Travelers Checks and Alternatives
3
Visa. Visa Travelers Cheques Acceptance Guidelines
4
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Money and Other Monetary Instruments
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 5316 – Reports on Exporting and Importing Monetary Instruments
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 5317 – Search and Forfeiture of Monetary Instruments