The Irish Bankers' Federation (IBF) has warned Irish fans travelling to the FIFA World Cup in Japan and Korea not to rely on travellers cheques as their main source of spending money.
Many Japanese banks use a clearing system for travellers cheques which incurs charges. Cheques can take up to 12 days to process, an IBF spokeswoman said.
"Fans should use a combination of cash and other cash alternatives while abroad," she suggested. The options include using Laser or Cirrus branded ATM cards for access to cash, and credit cards for purchases or cash advances. Banks have asked fans to book their currency needs several days in advance.
On arrival in Japan, Irish visitors will be able to use ATMs that accept foreign ATM and credit cards to withdraw money from their accounts at home.
ATMs can be found in post offices, train stations, department stores and banks, according to the Bank of Ireland. There are also approximately 187 post office ATMs at the World Cup venues in Japan, including Niigata, Ibaraki and Yokohama where the Republic of Ireland plays its group games. International ATMs are also located in airports and in the host cities.
Remember that charges apply for ATM withdrawals, typically 3.5 per cent of the withdrawal amount. It is more cost-effective, therefore, to make one larger withdrawal rather than withdrawing several smaller amounts, although for security reasons fans should not carry too much cash.
In Korea, ATMs can be found in most banks, subway stations and at the FIFA World Cup stadiums. "All major credit cards such as MasterCard, American Express and Visa can also be used to obtain cash and no cash advance fee applies if your account is in credit," a Bank of Ireland spokeswoman said.
If cards are lost or stolen while abroad, the cardholder should contact the issuer immediately. It is advisable to write down emergency numbers for stolen ATM and credit cards and keep them in a safe place.