There have been posts in the past on this subject, but I thought I would talk about a recent experience. A relative left me her estate, and I found among her effects $1000 in American Express traveler's checks, or cheques in their pretentious spelling. My credit union told me that even if I had a traveler's check made out to myself, they couldn't cash them, because there was no way to process it through their system. I started with this CU so long ago that free traveler's checks was one of the perks.
Amex advised me that Bank of America would cash them, but this proved false. My local BoA branch told me to file a claim with Amex. Amex no longer sells traveler's checks, of course, but I did file a claim on the web. This involved voiding each check in a minutely specified way, cutting them in half, photographing each check, and uploading the pictures to the Amex web site, along with their forms, and also the court order giving me the estate, and my relative's death certificate.
After all that, a check for $1000 arrived pretty quickly, I have to admit. I could also have opted for direct deposit. Of course, the $1000 is worth much less than it was when the checks were purchased, but it's something. So, as others have said, if you have any old TCs laying around, you might as well think about finding some way to cash them in. I have actually used checks from the First National City Bank of Dallas, which were accepted even in the USSR, but I wonder if there's any way to get your money back on those now.
Amex advised me that Bank of America would cash them, but this proved false. My local BoA branch told me to file a claim with Amex. Amex no longer sells traveler's checks, of course, but I did file a claim on the web. This involved voiding each check in a minutely specified way, cutting them in half, photographing each check, and uploading the pictures to the Amex web site, along with their forms, and also the court order giving me the estate, and my relative's death certificate.
After all that, a check for $1000 arrived pretty quickly, I have to admit. I could also have opted for direct deposit. Of course, the $1000 is worth much less than it was when the checks were purchased, but it's something. So, as others have said, if you have any old TCs laying around, you might as well think about finding some way to cash them in. I have actually used checks from the First National City Bank of Dallas, which were accepted even in the USSR, but I wonder if there's any way to get your money back on those now.
Statistics: Posted by Mad Hatter — Sun Jan 12, 2025 3:23 pm — Replies 0 — Views 54