Flying with a lot of cash?:
Herb_T
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Curious how you get past TSA with it? Have done some reading on it and say $10,000 in cash wouldn’t be unheard of when going to a show. How do you get past TSA?
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Why do you ask ?
Is there a limit of some sort ?
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
$10,000 is the limit for international travel without reporting. Coming from Canada?
When flying domestically within the USA, there is no limit to the amount of cash that you can carry or have to declare. However, if you are found flying with large amounts of cash or money, TSA officers may question you as to why you have it and details of your trip.
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Have traveled by air in the U.S. with cash in excess of $10K with no issues. Was not questioned by TSA. Did it several times. Kept it in several packages of hundreds in the carry on luggage. Cheers, RickO
Flying domestically, it isn't usually a problem. That being said it can cause reason for you to be questioned and set the wheels in motion to end up justifying the cash and questions about your occupation. Which can lead to more hassle than it is worth in my experience.
You have the right to be screened in private. Politely ask.
It is none of their business why you are travelling domestically - it's a constitutionally protected right. You can always - calmly and politely - ask them to call Law Enforcement if you feel they are asking questions you don't want to answer. Some officers love playing cop and trying to expand their mission.
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Beware of civil asset forfeiture.
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Carrying large amounts of cash is a bad idea. With a cash business like coins it is a cause for concern..
Besides the International / Domestic thing, for which there are different rules, as mentioned, my suggestion is simple based on some experience (outside of coins) my brother and I once experienced.
Get it from the bank not long before you travel. Keep it in the bank wraps. Keep the teller receipts with the cash.
This eliminates the one main flag that can arise with what they think you might be doing with large bundles of cash.
Think about it.
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have you not heard of asset forfeiture? Guilty until proven innocent, and even then you many never see your money again.
If you can, it's truly best to avoid hand-carrying high value coins and large amounts of cash. One alternative is to make arrangements in advance at a local bank to withdraw the cash (ie. major banks like BofA or Chase etc. that have branches everywhere).
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Does civil asset forfeiture apply to coins as well? Would they really know if a pcgs coin is high value or bother to look it up if you were carrying it through tsa? I’ve always wondered about this
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I have quite a bit of experience in this area. Although I didn’t work at the airport, I worked with them quite frequently.
Myths:
I specifically asked best practice for this scenario: a coin guy traveling through the airport with lots of money. The answer was, it’s obviously not illegal to carry money. There’s no need to declare it. Don’t attempt to conceal it, shrink wrap it, etc.
Now I don’t know that I would do this because Theft would be my main concern. I think @ianrussell idea is best. In this day and age, there’s no reason to have to carry through an airport anyways. Make an arrangement at a bank to pick it up.
BHNC #248 … 130 and counting.
What? You didn’t put it all in your checked luggage? 😁
Doesn't anyone use a money belt? Like in the movies.
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OK, Boomer! LOL
There was a story few years ago on our local news (Pittsburgh Pa.) about a woman who's cash was confiscated at our airport. She was flying back home to another state with her elderly father's cash. He was diagnosed with senile and had cash all through his house. The family wanted her to take control of the cash since she was some sort of investor or banker or something. The cash was discovered at the airport by law enforcement and taken from her. It was returned only after this became a big news story and she hired an attorney.
Law enforcement claimed all along that they did nothing wrong.
TSA has never asked my about my cash, only once, they wanted to count it one time and I said no, they can’t do it. Alway ask for a private screening if there is a problem.
As with all decisions: risk vs. reward
If you duct tape the stacks of cash to your body, around your legs, over your stomach, maybe a stack or two in your crotch - should be okay. Make sure they appear to be hidden and try not to act nervous…
What could possibly go wrong?
I once had TSA want to see what I had in my Pcgs box. I was pulled off the line and asked to open the box .
I explained what the slabs therein were and where I was going (ANA show.) He TSA inspector wanted me to open the slabs!!! I got by by explaining they
Were sonically sealed and I could not open them
I showed him some of the coins and he seem to be interested in seeing the old coins.
That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard 😂
I guess he asked You to open them because he didn’t realize they were sealed? … I hope?
BHNC #248 … 130 and counting.
I don't. I just walk in over the southern border.... No problem!
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
When I travel with cash I carry two copies of bank withdrawal receipts even if it wasn't for that particular amount.
Don't let TSA expand their job description.
Asset forfeiture is a thing. Your money can be taken from you and you're guilty (well, your money is, anyway) until you can prove otherwise.
Not a bad problem to have.
Civil asset forfeiture is a real risk when traveling domestically, but it seems like it’s far more of risk when dealing with traffic cops than with the TSA. Still, I would advise younger black and Hispanic collectors to be especially careful about carrying cash anywhere. Old pot-bellied white guys with Greysheets probably have little to fear. I mean, this is America, right?
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This story of a Florida woman is a complete nightmare! Taking months to get her money back from the government thieves.
https://reason.com/2020/11/17/dea-to-return-43000-it-seized-from-tampa-woman-at-airport/
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CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE
DEA to Return $43,000 It Seized From Tampa Woman at Airport
The DEA dropped its attempt to keep the money roughly two months after the woman joined a class-action lawsuit challenging cash seizures at airports.
C.J. CIARAMELLA | 11.17.2020 1:45 PM
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stacy jones DEA IJ
(Institute for Justice)
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will return more than $43,000 it seized from a Tampa woman at an airport after she joined a class-action lawsuit challenging the agency's practice of using civil asset forfeiture to confiscate cash from travelers.
The DEA seized $43,167 from Stacy Jones last May as she was trying to fly home to Tampa, Florida, from Wilmington, North Carolina. Jones says the cash was from the sale of a used car, as well as money she and her husband intended to take to a casino.
Jones is now a named plaintiff in a class-action civil rights lawsuit filed in January by the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm. Although it is legal to fly domestically with large amounts of undeclared cash, the Institute for Justice lawsuit claims that the DEA and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have a practice or policy of seizing currency from travelers at U.S. airports without probable cause simply if the dollar amount is greater than $5,000. This practice, the suit argues, violates travelers' Fourth Amendment rights.
Worrying about having your money taken away from you is not a problem anybody should have.
I wonder if Ms. Jones gets her money back with interest?!?!
She'll probably be paying surcharges, administrative fees, service charges, duty, surtax, and disbursement fees before she gets her money back!!
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
I meant having lots of cash.
Thankfully, these are the exception and not the rule.
BHNC #248 … 130 and counting.
Not so sure. There wouldn’t be a class action lawsuit if it didn’t happen very often, right?
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There are dozens of asset forfeitures every day. This is from 3 years ago.
There was a big issue near where I live with interdiction officers about a decade ago. Bad cases happen from time to time but the vast majority are not like this.
BHNC #248 … 130 and counting.
Just use your EBT card and travelers checks.
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I've traveled with several thousand dollars/euros. While I generally don't worry, when taking a lot of money, I keep the the bank receipt with. For domestic travel you don't have to say/declare anything. For traveling overseas, and you can travel with more than $10k, you just have to declare it and say where you got it from. Telling a TSA agent you can't say where you got it from is a 1 way ticket to losing it.
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Do like me, don't fly and take the GreyHound.
I had my carryon bag examined once. I had an bank envelope with ~6K in $100s in the bag. The TSA agent pulled out the envelope, opened it up, and asked how much was in it. I told him and he said ‘OK’. It was a little odd, as other passengers were nearby. Anyway, no issues after that. Off I went.
Dave
Ive travelled domestically and internationally through US airports numerous times over many years with large amounts of cash. I've only once had a problem, and it was an idiot TSA agent who in essence didnt understand the difference between domestic and international rules. once they got a supervisor involved it was cleared up quickly.
While civil forfeiture is theoretically possible, so is winning the lottery, and id wager you have about the same chances of either one of those happening to you. Take the bank receipt with you, and as long as you're flying domestically, you should be fine.
I simply don't understand the need to even risk carrying large amounts of cash.
I went to a show where I was flying in on a sunday morning. Banks are closed on Sunday, so going to the bank on the other end wasnt an option. There are some dealers who wont take credit cards and will hold purchases with a personal check if they dont know you. So if you wanted to walk away from the show with your purchases, how would you suggest accomplishing that without travelling with cash?
Cash is king at shows.
As others have attested, there is little risk traveling domestically. I’ve had no issue.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
Western Union? There are ways. Sundays are tough but it is just odd to me that a forum who thinks the post office is full of thieves wants to walk around with thousands in cash.
While it may be "legal" to carry cash, it can be seized and there are dozens and dozens of US citizens from all walks of life you can attest to that.
Personally, If I were to carry large amounts of cash, I would also have the recent bank receipts showing the exact amount I was carrying. That, and a good story - like going to a coin show.
I bought one of these years ago, specifically for coin shows. I thought I'd be all-set.
After folding and playing with C-notes for a half-hour, I could only get a grand into that belt. I hung that thing on a door knob. It might still be there......
If you have a bank branch in the city, it is not a bad idea to deposit some mid-show to reduce the issue as well as that of theft. End of show is usually too late, falling on Saturday or Sunday when the branches are closed. Do note that if the deposit (or aggregated deposits over a period) does not reach the $10k limit, the bank may still require a CYA IRS Form 8300 on even remote suspicion. I got hit years back simply redepositing traveler's cheques I had purchased from my account balance at the very same bank a month earlier for a trip where I had not needed them in the end.
And miss your flight ...
A lot of good advice given here.
With international travel, you are allowed to have cash or any other monetary instruments with you even if it exceeds $10K. It just must be declared. So, it would be good to have a bank withdrawal slip with you to show the origin of the money and be ready to state its purpose. A coin collector going to a show is a reason one can give if that is the case. If its a dealer going to a show, they would most likely be carrying over $10K in monetary instruments. It would be good to have your business license ready to show. The key is to be well organized and transparent if questioned. The more nervous and secretive you are, the more it will raise suspicions.
The same preparedness should apply to domestic travel too (in terms of having bank receipts and your business license if applicable), but like others have said on here, there is no need to declare monetary instruments no matter how large the amount.
Its upsetting seeing people troubled for carrying cash if indeed it was just for personal, but legally valid, reasons.
Civil forfeiture is real, but I think a bigger problem is theft from opportunists at any point during the trip.
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