what is a traveler s check 
a traveler s check sometimes spelled cheque is a once popular but now largely outmoded medium of exchange utilized as an alternative to hard currency and intended to aid tourists the product is typically used by people on vacation in foreign countries it offers a safe way to travel overseas without the risks associated with losing cash the issuing party usually a bank provides security against lost or stolen checks traveler s checks have increasingly been supplanted by credit cards and prepaid debit cards 