Does AAA still offer travelers checks?

The American Automobile association — AAA — is a well known federation of locally managed automobile clubs throughout North America. If you’re one of the 60 million members, you may remember the traveler’s checks the AAA used to issue. These days, the AAA has replaced traveler’s checks with a prepaid travel card which offers more flexibility for members — but does come with some fees and limits you should know about.

This guide walks through the AAA traveler’s check replacement card, and a few other alternatives for comparison, including the Wise Multi-currency Account and card. Get your free Wise international account online to hold, send and spend foreign currencies using the mid-market exchange rate every time.

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Does AAA still offer traveler’s checks?

Although AAA used to issue AmEx traveler’s checks, these days the AAA travel money product is a prepaid card which you can load with dollars for spending at home and abroad. We’ll cover more about that in just a moment.

What should you do if you have unused AAA traveler’s checks?

If you were issued American Express traveler’s checks through AAA, they can usually be used indefinitely¹. There’s no expiry date — so you can either spend or redeem them with an eligible partner service, or redeem them with AmEx directly². It’s useful to know that if you want to redeem unused traveler’s checks with American Express directly, you’ll need to meet certain eligibility criteria, and could face a wait of 30 days or more.

AAA replacement to traveler’s checks: the MemberPay Visa prepaid card

When the AAA stopped issuing traveler’s checks they launched a new Visa prepaid card³ which can be used both in the US and when members travel abroad. A card offers more convenience than traveler’s checks, which have become less common of late, and can be tricky to redeem in certain countries. Let’s take a look at the features and fees of the MemberPay Visa Prepaid card from AAA.

AAA MemberPay Visa prepaid card features

Safety and security

Using a prepaid card can offer security — especially when you travel or shop online with retailers you don’t know. Because your card isn’t linked to any of your regular bank or credit card accounts, even if it’s lost, stolen, or cloned, there’s no chance that thieves can access your primary source of funds.

Your card uses chip technology to keep your money safe, and is covered by Visa’s Zero Liability policy which means that you won’t pay if your card is subject to unauthorized transactions.

Fees and currency exchange

As with any financial product it’s important to understand the fees and charges associated with the AAA MemberPay prepaid Visa. Here’s a rundown — get the full details online before you buy:

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

AAA support

Contact AAA support by email, phone or mail⁵:

• Email at support@aaaprepaidcards.com
• Phone at 8662611971
• Mail at Card services, PO Box 91607, Sioux Falls, SD 57109

Alternatives to AAA MemberPay Visa prepaid card

Need to sort out your travel money? Let’s look at some alternative ways to pay when you travel, to help you decide if the AAA prepaid card is for you.

Multi-currency cards

A multi-currency prepaid card allows you to hold a range of different currencies, and spend using your linked debit card wherever in the world you are. It’s secure, flexible — and if you pick the right card, cheaper than using traveler’s checks or alternative card products.

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Cash

Carrying cash while you travel — either in the destination currency or in USD to exchange on arrival — is still an option, but it does come with some issues. Carrying cash can make you a target for thieves — especially in an unfamiliar country. And spending your precious vacation looking for a fair currency exchange service can mean wasted hours you could be using to relax.

Carrying some cash may be a good fall back plan — but probably not one to rely on for the bulk of your travel money.

International credit or debit cards

You can also choose to use your regular credit or debit card when you travel — a convenient and familiar option. Before you decide to rely on your card, check the issuing network is accepted in your destination. Discover cards, for example, don’t have as high global acceptance rates as Visa and MasterCard. You’ll also want to check the foreign transaction fees used — it’s common for credit and debit cards — like the AAA prepaid card, to add a 3% or so fee when you spend or make withdrawals abroad.

So AAA traveler’s checks are no longer an option — but there are plenty of other smart choices out there for people heading abroad. Check out a range of products to find the right one for you, and don’t forget to look at the Wise Multi-currency Account and card for cheap, convenient spending all over the world.