What's the Best Way To Carry Cash to and from Las Vegas?

How to carry cash to Vegas. My wife and I travel to Vegas two or three times a year. The usual procedure involves going to the bank (sometimes twice) a couple of days before the trip to withdraw the money. After divvying up the cash (I'm issued my allocation), we have to carry them through the airport and on to the hotel. We use the hotel room safe as the distribution center. We're disciplined, so we never spend more than we bring. We're also fee adverse. We don’t want to have to pay fees to withdraw cash while we're traveling. There are very few if any actual banks near the casinos in Vegas. We seek your wisdom on a safer way to deal with funding that doesn’t add additional cost.

This is without a doubt our most frequently asked question these days. We don't answer it every time it's asked, but we like to run it at once every 12 months; as the last time was in September, it was due.

The challenge in your particular question is "fee adverse/additional cost."

You can cash a personal check at a casino cage. Nowadays, casinos route the checks through one of the major clearinghouses (Pavilion Payments, SmartCheck, etc.), which verifies funds and handles the settlement. Pavilion Payments and many partner casinos advertise this service as fee-free for patrons and some casinos explicitly state “Instant Cash Access – Without the Fees!”

Of course, you’ll need to provide identification, sometimes a player’s club card or cash-advance authorization, and a check with your name and current date (some casinos allow checks drawn on local banks or corporate accounts). The maximum cash-out limit per transaction or per day varies by casino. In some cases, there may be a short hold period or verification call to your bank. Some casinos do charge a minimal fee for check cashing, so you might want to arrange to stay or play at one that doesn't.

Another option is driving (your own car or a rental) to a national bank brand and cashing a check. If you have an account with Wells Fargo, you're in luck; it has 50 locations around the valley, the closest at 3800 Howard Hughes Pkwy. (in the Las Vegas Tower), roughly a mile east of the Strip near Flamingo. Bank of America has 32 locations, including ATMS; the closest bank building is on W. Tropicana a block west of the Orleans. Chase, U.S. Bank, and Capital One also serve Las Vegas.

You can also set up a casino line of credit from home before your trip; most of the large casino companies have credit applications on their websites. Or you can just show up at the cage and ask for a credit/marker application; most cashiers will be happy to help you fill it out. The problem with that is it can take a few days for them to review your references and approve a withdrawal amount. That’s why it’s better to do it in advance especially if you're concerned about remaining in action after blowing your bankroll.

Once you’ve established credit, you can go to the cage and withdraw chips, or cash if you’re playing the machines, or sign a marker at the tables. A casino "line of credit" is more of a short-term loan; you settle up with the cage before you leave, unless you have terms. If you don’t pay, the casino runs the marker through your bank account, just like cashing any check you wrote.

If none of those is an option, you're into additional-cost territory. You could take an Uber to the nearby Wells and B of A branches. Or with the proper approval, you can EFT or wire-transfer money directly into the cage. This takes a little time to set up and process and will cost you, but it avoids the worst fees, such as drawing funds from your debit or credit card at a casino ATM. You'll need to pay only your bank's standard wire fee, which is significantly less than a cash advance. It entails contacting the casino in advance for their wire instructions; you should expect not to access your funds for at least one business day.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Have a question that hasn't been answered? Email us with your suggestion.

Missed a Question of the Day?

Have a Question?

Tomorrow's Question

What assets is Tilman Fertitta actually buying by acquiring Caesars Entertainment?

Comments

Kevin Lewis Jun-09-2026

Piece o'cake

Bring a $5 bill. Put it in the luckiest slot machine you can find. Win, Spend all of the money you win except for $5. Repeat. No fees!

O2bnVegas Jun-09-2026

doing fine

How could the OP doing any better than what they describe as their current process?  I've carried cash on my person through airports for years with never an issue.  Unless one's ID flags them for being 'wanted' for something, if searched and a large amount of cash might be questioned?  Or going through customs which I'm not experienced with?  My first few Vegas trips I bought Travelers Checques, for some reason thought it would be safer.  Realized that those and other processes for turning your funds into gambling cash only expose you more to unsavory people paying attention to those cashing TCs, at the cage, at ATMs, getting cash to put on their person, whereabouts on their person, etc.  Just be careful with your cash like you would anywhere else.  JMHO.

Candy

Candy

black jack Jun-09-2026

Candy!

Travelers Cheques? Wow - it’s been a “few” years since I’ve heard those mentioned. We used to take them on all our trips, including Las Vegas. Do they still exist?

O2bnVegas Jun-09-2026

black jack

Do they still exist?  I dunno.  That was 1988 or so.  I remember standing in line to cash some at Harrahs.  Long line behind me, people watching 'cause they were having to wait to do their chip cashing, etc. (no ATMS back then?).  Cashier taking forever, sometimes having to call somebody or get signature of somebody 'back in the back'.  Everybody could see me getting the bills counted out to me, etc.  Not so safe, though not so different from cashing chips at the cage these days, really.

Candy

Kevin Rough Jun-09-2026

Credit Unions

If you belong to a credit union, there is a great chance that you have access to the Co-op and/or Allpoint Networks of ATMS for free.  There are tons of them in Las Vegas, even on the strip.

Allen Measley Jun-09-2026

NO HASSLE OR FEE

I HAVE USED THE PROCEDURE OF TAKEING MY OWN CHECK
TO THE CAGE AND GETTING $$$ RIGHT IN MY HANDS...
A FEW X AT HARRAHS LAUGHLIN & ALSO THE TROP IN VEGAS...
I AM VERY SURE THERE WAS NO FEES OR SCAM CHARGES SINCE
IT'S MY OWN $$$ IN MY ACCOUNT....
I WOULD TELL YOUS GUYS TO TAKE A FEW CHECKS ALONG
TO THE DESERT & TRY THIS....
THIS WAS ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO SO I HOPE THIS PROCEDURE
STILL EXISTS......

John Hearn Jun-09-2026

BOA downtown

I walk two blocks from the Golden Nugget to the Bank of America drive-up ATM on Bridger? (I think.) Of course, I have only needed to do that once or twice since I always win in Las Vegas. You see, I have a foolproof roulette system. (That's what a guy repairing my computer told me a few years ago--whenever he needed money, he just played his system. I didn't have the heart to ask why he was working on my computer for $25.)

Hal Grimes Jun-09-2026

Mr

Kinda didn’t answer question.  How do you carry cash to Las Vegas ?

Edso Jun-09-2026

Allen's right

If you are concerned about carrying cash through the airport and to the hotel, just do what Allen does and cash a check at the cage.  It will take some time initially, but once you are an established customer, it shouldn't take but minutes in the future.  Good luck.

Randall Ward Jun-09-2026

cah

Unless you're bringing cartel level money there are hidden wallets or carry in an inner pocket etc. In Vegas I just make sure to keep real money separate so you;re not pulling out big bills when trying to tip. Simple commonsense stuff.

Appreciate the travel check throwback, they were actually very safe but apparently they just went away

asaidi Jun-09-2026

shopping center ATMs

Most of the shopping areas (Forum Shops at Caesars, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, Fashion Show mall, etc) have ATMs.  Several years ago I found one at Forum Shops that was Bank of America (my bank) but the last time I checked it wasn't anymore.   

Also, a lot of banks in Las Vegas have drive-thru ATMs so if you drive a rental car/your car or take an Uber you can just pull up to it instead of getting out of the car and going into the bank.

DeltaEagle Jun-09-2026

Debit Card?

Debit card used at an in network ATM.

Susan Johnson Jun-09-2026

How to carry

Is there any way to carry cash on your person when going thru TSA?  I never like my money being in my bag going thru the scanner when I can't be sure to be on the other side ready to pick it up.  Will bills in my pocket set off the scanner?  I do have a line of credit, bank at Chase and have a car, so I only carry enough cash for the first day, but still...

Raymond Jun-09-2026

Travelers Cheques/Wire/Carrying Cash

Travelers Cheques died out in the early 2010s as I recall.  When I resumed coming to LV in 2012, I carried some of my money that way, then decided I didn't need them.

Wire--If I'm not going directly to Vegas, sometimes I'll wire most of my money ahead 4-6 days before I arrive.  IMO it's worth the $25 or $35 I pay to send it to my hotel.  Then I sign for the money at the tables, and cash out at the cage on my last day.

Carrying Cash--I'll carry about a third of my "cash cash" and put the rest in my carry-on, unless I see a jam in the TSA line which may cause me to be separated from the carry-on for a while.  I keep an eye on the carry-on while I go through the scanner.  I've never had a problem this way.

IdahoPat Jun-09-2026

For all the great marketing techniques casinos have ...

... how they've never managed to get more people to sign up for casino credit is a great mystery to me. Instead, people act as if they're signing their life away just by saying the word "marker."

Jeffrey Small Jun-09-2026

Travelers Checks

I used to always carry travelers checks since I was constantly on the road.  As stated above I now use ATMs.  If you shop around you should be able to get an account that reimburses ATM fees.  Meanwhile, regarding the current availability of Travelers Checks:  "A few niche issuers (like Visa partners) or local AAA branches still offer them. However, major banks like Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America no longer issue travelers checks"

Question of the Day - 09 June 2026

Comments