Travelers Checks

First please let me dissuade you from bringing Travelers Checks to Greece. There are many ATMs that you can use your ATM debit card.

But for all of you that decide to bring them, here is the way to deal with them. Merchants DO NOT accept them (or at least we have not found any that are willing to take them).

The ONLY bank that will cash them is National Bank of Greece. They have branches everywhere -that is the one good thing.

Banking hours are Monday – Thursday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm and 8:00 am to 1:30 pm on Fridays. Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on all public holidays and strikes – they are unprodictable, all banks are closed.

The first thing you need to have is patience and time. Don’t wait until the last minute, plan on a couple of hours!

When you get to the branch you need to find the Foreign Currency Exchange person [“Synalagma” – the Greek word for Foreign Currency Exchange]. The name of the person handling Foreign Currency Exchange at the Pagrati branch is Ourania Papadopoulou, she speaks excellent English.

Do not take a number and wait in line.

Make sure you have your passport and

Do not sign the checks until you are in the presence of the bank employee.

After the Foreign Currency Exchange person verifies the checks, they will ask you to sign them and then they will sign them as well. Then you will need to get a signature from the Branch Manager. Ask the person that helped you – Greeks are not very informative unless you ask them – who is the Branch Manager.

Then you will have to go to the special window that deals with foreign currency.

If you have not done any of the above steps, you will need to leave the line, complete them and come back.

You will be asked for a phone number and an address.

This is mandatory, you can give them the address and the telephone number of the place where you are staying, so have it with you.

ADDITIONAL TIPS

If you have a companion with you at the bank, have them wait in line – make sure you are in the right line – as these lines are usually the commercial tellers and may have many and lengthy transactions to process ahead of you.

Do not take an number and wait in line, you will go to another line.

Make sure you HAVE YOUR PASSPORT and

Do not sign the checks until you are in the presence of the bank employee.

My advice, leave your traveler’s checks at home.