Cashing Traveler's Checks in Turkey

Oh the Traveler's Check. Long the standard for security and accepted anywhere, how archaic they have become!  For various reasons, not all of my own, I ended up bringing Traveler's Checks with me to Istanbul to cash upon arrival for the team.  What I learned was 1) the hotel will take them and exchange at a terrible rate, and 2) 5 out of 6 bank branches will tell you NO.  The 6th bank said Yes, and then had to look up procedures and call a help desk for support. Took 1 hour and a nice charge of $13 per check.

So $200 in US, loses you $26.  The up side? Still a better exchange than you get at the hotel. The other side? The hotel doesn't take as long so you save time. Better than a wallet of cash? Depends on your ability not to lose your wallet by carelessness or theft.