Traveler’s Checks Aren’t Worth the Headache

Here's is my struggle with buying a washing machine with only traveler's checks.

After a couple weeks, back from my trip to Europe, I was finally able to convert my euros back to American dollars. First off, it's a sham! It cost a $1.29 to get one euro but when converting that one euro back to American dollars I only got back a $1.15, and instead of getting money back I got back $400 worth of traveler's checks. Anyone who has seen a traveler's check knows that they look weird, almost like fake money.

Last night I went down to the Sears Outlet in Fall River to buy a washing machine, and of course, I looked a bit shady with my stack of traveler checks. After finding the machine I wanted, I went to the counter. The girl at the register looked so confused; she has no idea what a traveler's check is. She called the general manager over to walk her through how to cash it out.  I felt awkward and suspicious just standing there while she held the checks up to the light and made sure it was legit. The manager told me that I'd have to come back tomorrow, so their general manager could handle it. But I was already there and traveler's checks are meant to be used as real money!  They opted to take a picture of the checks and my license and let me proceed with my purchase. Considering how strange the situation was for everyone, they handled it well.

My tip for anyone traveling to Europe- get as little euros and you possibly can because traveler's checks are the worst.

Additional Reporting by Darlene Duarte