which? travellers cheques or credit card travelling to USA?

i am going to florida in august and wanted to know which is the best way to take money , ( not just cash ).

The credit card will be easier. Traveller's cheques are not commonly used these days, but credit cards are accepted everywhere.

If you bring Traveller's cheques, they'll be accepted at most larger places, but using them takes additional time (to sign the cheques and to get the sales clerk to figure out how to process the transaction)

I'm American, and travel to Europe regularly. And at this point my husband and I don't bother with Traveller's cheques - we take some cash and credit cards/debit cards.

Although it's possible to echange Travellers' cheques in banks and (possibly) some of the larger hotels, is more recommendable to carry credit cards and ATM cards, because they are more widely accepted. Anyway, to avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in US Dollars.

Convenience costs and although using your debit card at overseas ATMs/cash point machines is definitely easier than organising foreign money exchange or traveller’s cheques; it is also much more expensive. Credit cards are universally accepted in hotels, restaurants, gas/petrol stations, etc.

Bak fees charged for using foreign ATMs/cash point machines are much higher than at home and the exact amount often goes unnoticed until you return from your holiday or receive your next bank statement. Warnings now pop up on most UK cash point machines stating that additional transaction charges from the home financial institution will apply, but the exact amount is rarely shown.

In addition to your bank at home charging you, a charge is applied to transactions at foreign ATM/cash point machines. This charge is known as the ‘loading fee’, levied as a 2.75% commission on the total cost of your credit or debit card transaction. Providers refer to it as an ‘exchange rate administration fee’. When cash is withdrawn from foreign ATMs/cash point machines an additional charge is applied. This is levied by the card issuer and averages at 2% for credit cards and 1.5% for debit cards.

It is always advisable to enter a country with at least a small amount of local currency on you. This will ensure that you are not stranded without foreign currency to cover small airport associated costs such as taxis, bus fares or trolley hire. Foreign currency can be exchanged at money exchange branches and bureau de change locations before you leave home or at the airport terminal. The down side is that you usually pay for the convenience in both the exchange rate and there is often a minimum charge.