Query regarding American Express Travellers Cheques

[raksrules]

I have some American Express Travellers Cheques with me which were issued to me in April 2009. Now i was skeptical that whether they have expired or not but when i checked those cheque leaves, they stated that
American Travellers cheques never expire
Is that the case ?
Can i get hard cash in Dollars only (no INR) in lieu of those cheques ? If yes then where and what would that bank etc charge me for issuing the dollar currency ?
If no then what is the way out to get USD and not INR (by depositing in bank and all)

 

[shravank30]

You cannot legally hold Foreign currency in India for more then 90 days after your last visit abroad

You are supposed to convert all unused Foreign curreny/ TC into Indian Rupees after that period

As such, if you want to stay within the law, then you should get the TC en cashed into Indian Rupees

Coming to the 2nd part..Its correct..American traveler cheques never expire.

And there is no way you can convert the TC into Hard USD without first selling the TC & then buying the HARD USD again from a authorized bank or vendor who will charge for both leg of the transactions their commission

 

[toxicdrift]

just use them when u go abroad.. no big deal. u cant get hard usd for em.. since u will be withdrawing em in india .. anywhere else .. u should be able to get usd without any issues... almost all major banks allow usd exchange @ the current rate.

 

[agupta02]

American Express TCs are as good as USD hard currency and are freely convertible into any currency as per the current exchange rates v/s the USD. So if there is no specific underlying reason for converting them to hard USD, stick with them as they are actually safer than carrying hard USD. They are generally replaced within 24hrs of being reported as lost or stolen.