Better rate for large bills

While my wife, Joan, and I were in Thailand in February ’05, our guide told us that as of that month, all Thai banks charge a fee of 33 baht (near 87¢ U.S.) for each travelers’ check cashed, so it’s cheaper to carry 100-dollar checks than 20-dollar checks.

For example, one bank with an exchange rate of 38.29 baht per dollar charged us a fee of 5 x 33 = 165 baht when we cashed five 20-dollar travelers’ checks. That’s a fee of 4.31%. If I had cashed one 100-dollar check instead, the 33-baht fee would have been only 0.86%.

You should carry larger denominations not only of travelers’ checks but of U.S. cash too. The posted rate was usually better for larger bills than for smaller ones.

FRED FRECH
Tucson, AZ