off to oregon for 6 weeks this summer, and was wondering what is the best way to look after my loot.

I dont want to carry all my money in cash.

Is it best to use 1.one of the thomas cook money cards
2. old school us dollar travellers cheques
3. my maestro card, which my bank say is accepted and i will be charged 2.7% of the withdrawl amount.

Will take a cerdit card for all big purchases ( like a thomson dropper post perhaps…)

Anyone been there recently and used maestro? I am thinking this might be the easiest and also the cheapest , as my bank seems to offer pretty decent rates…

also, do most places in us charge comission when cashing travellers cheques?

I always just use my bank card & get our £250 at a time (or more if it’s needed soon). Don’t use it for every transaction, otherwise the min. charge shafts you, but used for large cash withdrawals, it’s as near as the same cost as most other options.

I use debit cards for everything, in the US you don’t need to sign if it’s below a small sum like coffee or food. Mine is Visa though, but it’s always been cheap.

The cheapest way to get cash is to find which US bank your bank is partnered with (there will probably be one). In the case of Barclays, it’s Bank of America. You get cheaper withdrawals, but there are many more banks so fewer ATMs of that type, so you end up having to take out say $200 when you find one.

cheers gents, think i will go with the maestro then, and check if my nank has an american affiliate

I don’t want to hear about your nank.

Option 1), but make sure you turn it back in when you return and close the card. If the card lies dormant for an extended period (something like 6 months or a year IIRC), they start charging you monthly for it.

Just take enough cash for tips, everything else just pay for on CC’s – none of mine attract fees and the exchange rates are better than cash you get locally.