traveler's check

American  

noun

traveler's checks plural

1. a check issued in any of various denominations by a bank, travel agency, etc., that is signed by the purchaser upon purchase and again, in the presence of the payee, when cashing the check or using it to pay for goods or services.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• traveler's checks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of traveler's check

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

After nine years at McKinsey, he was recruited to American Express, where he initially headed travel-related services, including the credit-card and traveler’s check businesses, and later was president of the company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

New York's Citicorp, which already has 20% of the traveler's check market, plans to sell its Citibank checks through Carte Blanche.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ever since it invented the traveler's check in 1891, American Express Co. has been concerned with the problems of U.S. tourists.

From Time Magazine Archive

For decades, travelers wearied by the blur of borders and time zones have known they were in Italy after being showered with vast sums of lire in return for a traveler's check or two.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Would you cash a twenty-dollar traveler’s check for me?”

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin