Cash vs. traveler's check vs. debit card to Vegas?

Question

My friend and I are going to Vegas in one month. We are staying 4 nights. We want to gamble, gamble, gamble... but on slots only. We plan on taking enough to gamble away $500 each day. Do we take cash? Are traveler's checks still available to buy? Or a debit card from my bank -- but then what about the fees to withdraw the $500 each day? Maybe it's just better to take cash.

Answer 1

Hi whenever my boyfriend&I have gone to Vegas..we use the debit card at ATM's..we last went in 2006 and I think the fee was around $3.00 maybe more. It's never a wise idea to carry so much cash on you anyway...oh and if you're playing slots..you should check out the Family Feud one and Wheel of Fortune...I along with a few other people I know really had fun on those ones,but all slots are fun...if you take a long break from gambling... you should go to the shark reef at Mandalay Bay..pretty cool...and take the time to see the water show in fromt of Bellagio(pretty yummy chocolate etc store inside too with a huge chocolate fountain and some yummy gelato) amongst other cool things in Vegas like the wax museum at the Venetian etc etc Vegas has a lot of cool/fun things other than just simply gambling...it's all fun.

PS-sorry, I did get a lil off subject lol

Answer 2

Fees to withdraw should be about 4.00 each if you are from the states, if you are coming from over seas you should get traveler's checks!

http://www.bestofvegas.com/articles/LasV...

Have fun!

Answer 3

Go to a convenience store or drive to a bank to withdraw the money if you are concerned about casino ATM fees.  Don't risk losing that much cash and travelors checks can be a pain in the @ss.  So my suggestion is to use your debit card. Safer and more convenient.

Answer 4

Everybody accepts cash!!  Just be careful how much you keep on you and where you roam.

Answer 5

Use the Debit Card. Check to see what your banks daily ATM allowance is.  Most are $500, some are not. I would rather pay a $2.00 fee to an ATM  than walk around with lots of cash!  

Answer 6

ATM fees in Las Vegas casinos are quite expensive -- some are $5 or more for a withdrawal -- and you may also have issues with taking out $500 per day, depending on your bank's limit.

Travelers checks are still available to purchase and can be cashed at casino cages, but they're somewhat of a hassle to obtain.  Cash would be easiest, but it's also risky due to the lack of recourse if it's lost or stolen.

You might wish to inquire with the casino you're staying at about their credit/marker policy.  Essentially, they let you borrow a certain amount with the agreement that you pay it back before you leave.  That way, you could take a single hit at the end off your debit card, rather than multiple hits.  Whether they do it will depend on your credit and other factors, but it's another option for you.

Answer 7

Relax. Vegas is fun. They make it REALLY easy for you to access your money.

Whenever we go, we take travelers checks. The hotel/casino treats them the same as cash. You can get them from your bank. There is a small fee, but is better than loosing your cash. You can get them replaced if they're stolen.

I wish I was going too. :)

Good luck.

Answer 8

We have debated the same thing before deciding on traveller's checks.  They are the most practical for a vacation like that.

If you take cash, there is a chance you could have it stolen, lose it, or get drunk and spend too much of it.  With traveller's checks you are fully covered on the amount of the traveller's check if you lose one or it gets stolen

If you use a debit card, the atm's will charge you tons of fees.  My boyfriend said he went one year using his debit card, and when he got back, he was looking at a couple hundred dollars in fees.

What we do is we everything we are taking with us in traveller's checks at our bank.  When we get to Vegas, we have a budget of exactly how much we need for each day, and we cash only that amount in checks at the cashier's cage each morning.  There are so many securities in doing it this way.

1.  Money is completely covered and reimbursable if checks are lost or stolen

2.  You can't spend all of your money or more than you want to because you have only taken enough out for one day.  But you can always cash more travellers checks at any time.

Since you are planning to gamble $500/day, you would just pull out $500 in travellers checks plus enough to cover any other expenses for that day.

Answer 9

ATM's, e.g. debit cards, charge about $5 a transaction.  

Travelers checks are easy to cash at the Cashier's Cage with valid photo ID.  They do NOT take personal checks.

Cash works period.

Answer 10

Never use the cash withdrawls at the casinos. For a $500 withdrawl you will be charge from $15 to $25 for each transaction. Off the strip at a bank you will be charged the normal bank fee but the convenience of the casino is sometimes too tempting.

If you carry that kind of cash .. wear a money belt under your shirt and keep it there. Use $100 bills and that will take up less room. Do not worry about using a $100 bill here in Vegas ... kind of the norm. Change from the 100 bucks keep in your pocket.