I would be nervous about having all my eggs in that one basket. I don't know if travelers checks or a prepaid Visa would be more acceptable in Europe, but I would definitely load some cash into one of those options.

Would a Visa TravelMoney card be a workable option? They claim that you can transfer funds from a bank account, rather than just recharging with a credit card.

A definite advantage to travelers' checks is that if you lose them, or they're stolen, you can get them replaced in 24 hours or less (assuming you use one of the major providers). The same is usually not true of ATM cards or credit cards, and most banks or credit companies will categorically NOT mail you a replacement card anywhere other than your home address.

I usually use my ATM card abroad for most purchases, but I *always* bring emergency money in travelers' checks.

(And if you do just decide to bring your ATM card, make sure you have a non-800 number for the bank, because you won't be able to dial 800 numbers from foreign phones.)

If I were you, I'd convert about half the current money in my account to travelers' cheques, take out another day's worth of cash to carry in dollars, and bring the ATM card. That way there's not tons of money in your account for thieves to mess with, and it buys you a bit of time if you have to yell at Wells Fargo over the phone, and presumably gives you a way to access your account (and buy more travelers' checks, if necessary) abroad.

If you can find a travel Visa-y card that lets you make transfers between your bank account and the card, I'd use that rather than the ATM card (assuming you can also get money from ATMs with the travel card).

Basically, my concern would be: I may have to cancel the ATM card, which means the card itself will be useless. My bank will be unwilling to send a replacement card to me abroad. How can I access my bank account without using the ATM card? Which means using a travel card, or converting as much money as you can to travelers' checks or cash as it becomes available.

But I do realize I'm more sold on the idea of travelers' checks than most others.

(Also, if you haven't, tell Wells Fargo that you'll be abroad for X dates, so they don't see foreign charges and use that as a reason to suspect fraud and cancel your card.)

Yes, tell them you will be abroad, and which countries. My check card was frozen recently after a week in Stockholm and a couple high-dollar domestic purchases. In your case, I bet they'd do the same.

I just got a Visa TravelMoney card, and I'll find out within 24 hours whether or not I can actually reload from my bank account. Oh god this is frustrating.

My main concern with travelers' cheques is: what kind of fees do you get hit with for converting the currency? I'll be EU countries, but not in Euro zones, so everything will have to be local currency.

I prefer to carry cash. Traveller's checks have been too expensive and too much hassle for me, generally. I've had to pay for them up front and then pay again to cash them out and then pay AGAIN to convert them into the local currency.

Definitely tell your bank what's up, though, to make sure they don't cancel your card.

I have no advice, but have a great trip!

cmonkey, it looks like the fees on the Visa card may be as high as those on travelers' checks; it may be a toss-up on that.

Withdrawing money from a branch of your bank in a foreign country is actually a very good deal. You get a good exchange rate and almost no fees. Wells Fargo wouldn't happen to have a branch where you're going, would they?

I think that if you withdraw through ATM systems like Star or Maestro the rates are still pretty good. And you can do it with your debit card.

You can get a temporary debit card pre-loaded with cash. You could use that as a back-up, if you wanted. I know American Express offers some. Also American Express has lots of branches abroad so you have an office to walk into. I am pretty sure the AmEx cards are replaceable at an overseas branch. These cards do have a fee, although I think you just pay once, to set up the card.

Generally speaking I think exchange rates on card transactions are much better than ones you get when exchanging currency.

Good luck!

I meant to explain my last comment more; I was stuck on a phone call when I posted.

The Visa Travel card is going to charge you fees for withdrawing money in foreign currency, just as travelers' checks would. Your bank will probably also charge fees if you use your ATM card to withdraw money, but those fees are almost guaranteed to be less. If you can use your ATM card, that will be the least expensive way for you to get money.

What you're doing with the Visa card and/or travelers's checks is paying for the financial protection you'll need if your bank money gets stolen. The Visa card is good because if you see illegal activity on your bank account, you can immediately transfer all your money onto the Visa card and cancel your bank card. (Or, you could use your ATM card to buy a bunch of travelers' checks from an AmEx abroad, and then cancel the ATM card.)

You should consider the Visa card your emergency back-up money, not a way to pay for your entire trip. If your bank account remains fine, use your ATM card.

/travel-guide writer lecture

(Also, all of that is assuming the Visa card does let you add money to it from your bank account.)

OK. so metachat ate my long wonderful experience with WFB, its checkcard and Europe. But to highlight

1. They will charge you $5.00 every time you take money out of an ATM. I learned this the hard way. And unlike some banks who have agreements with European banks, Wells Fargo will charge you this fee everywhere. To make matters worse, on the statement it is listed as a Non-WFB ATM fee. As if you could just pop into the Prague WFB and get some cash.

2. You must tell them before you leave you're traveling or the will put a fraud alert on your card rendering it useless until you call them. This can be extremely inconvenient when you arrive at a hotel late at night and you just want to sleep. I've had 15 minute calls back to the US with WFB where they didn't remove the hold. Or put it back on the next day.

3. The 800# on the check card works from Germany at least. It isn't toll free, but you will connect. You will need to know your checking account number or face a barrage of questions where they doubt you are who you say you are. That is fun at $2/minute international roaming.

4. When you buy stuff at places that take Visa, they will charge you a 2% fee. It is just one more way Wells Fargo is working hard to take all of your money*. This will show up as a separate charge on your online statement.

*this isn't specific to WFB, but most banks in general.

Yeah, Wells Fargo is terrible with fees. I didn't realize that they charged so much the last time I went out of the US, and ended up losing about $100 in foreign ATM fees, but they treated me pretty well the last time some shithead went off and used my cheque card to drain my bank account, so I've stuck with them.

Anyway, I've cancelled the card, since I don't want to give anyone the chance to sneak more charges on before I get to internet access, and I'll pin my hopes on this here Visa TravelCard. And I'll get another one tonight and keep it separate, just to make sure.

Thanks, everyone. Today was pretty stressful, so all the advice was really nice.

Ha ha hah. My identity is verified with the Visa TravelCard people, but, contrary to everything they say, I can't actually put money on it from a bank account or other credit card. Closest I can get is to put money in my PayPal account, and transfer it to the card from there. But I don't trust PayPal to handle several thousand dollars without closing my account on their earliest whim, particularly when I don't have a history of doing large transactions through them.

This whole situation really does just get better and better.