Just a quick note to anyone considering purchasing American Express traveler’s checks for a trip to Taiwan. Read this and you might want to reconsider.
My wife and I arrived in Kaoshiung to find that American Express no longer has offices in Taiwan, apparently they sold the division to a local bank. Cashing AMEX traveler’s checks now incurs a 2-3% fee, is limited to $1,000, and is a very long and involved process (25 minutes after we got the dedicated attention of a bank employee).
Next time we are bringing cash. Won’t leave home without it!
