travellers cheques or Cash?

Travelers checks are getting less and less prevalent nowadays and therefore they can be more of a hassle... I do as booger does... I take two cards and leave one with my passport in the safe just in case... I've never been compromised...don't flash the cash... then again, I wouldn't flash it in Jamaica, the states or wherever

bostonguy...what isn't you wouldn't flash in Jamaica....lol.... sorry darling, couldn't help it ...lol

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Originally Posted by booger

Scotia Bank ATM at Time Square is the best bet. Not many eyes are watching you, outside of the shopkeepers who want you to come in and spend some money. With fees, you are in the same ballpark as bringing cash and using a cambio. I bring two cards from two different accounts, just in case one is compromised, however I have never had one compromised in Jamaica.

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Hey Jojo, I'm not much for bush, so I cannot relate..... I should state the one disadvantage of the Times Square ATM is the lack of an enclosure. If that is a concern go elsewhere, however I tend to go early, while the bad guys are still sleeping.

Just to put out there, I quit carrying American Express,most places quite honoring the card. It's become worthless in JA.

CASH.......bring your ATM cards as the rates are very favorable at Scotia and NCB......

Cool Runnings, Marko

About 15 years ago AmEx raised their bank charges from 4 to 7% so everyone stopped accepting them. Even the banks stopped processing their cards.

Thanks everyone, ATM card is the solution!

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Originally Posted by Rob

About 15 years ago AmEx raised their bank charges from 4 to 7% so everyone stopped accepting them. Even the banks stopped processing their cards.

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That's insane. In a recent public filing they stated they were in the roughly 2.5% range. 7% is highway robbery and I can see why businesses bowed out.

http://www.snl.com/Cache/c36385998.html

"The average discount rate was 2.47 percent and 2.45 percent for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively, and 2.46 percent and 2.48 percent for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively. The increase for the three-month period reflects the absence of Costco merchant volumes in the current year, which were at a lower discount rate than the average. The decrease for the nine-month period was driven primarily by a prior-year benefit related to certain merchant rebate accruals, growth of the OptBlue program and merchant negotiations, including those resulting from the recent European regulatory changes, partially offset by the benefit to the discount rate from the decline in Costco merchant volumes in the current period. We expect the average discount rate will likely decline over time due to further expansion of OptBlue, overall changes in the mix of spending by location and industry, merchant incentives and concessions, volume related pricing discounts, strategic investments, certain pricing initiatives, competition, pricing regulation (including regulation of competitors’ interchange rates) and other factors."

I was a big fan of traveler's cheques (checks) after my hotel room was broken into while vacationing in Hawaii years ago. A call to the police, who issued a police report which I took to the nearest bank and I had my cash back in my hand within a couple of hours. But unfortunately traveler's cheques seem to have gone the way of the Brontosaurus.

I use to travel with a mix of cash, traveler's cheques and my bank card along with my credit card for backup, just in case of emergencies. I always found that worked really well. I still do the same today, minus the traveler's cheques.