credit cards in Canada

[Giantfan13]

When we traveled in Europe many credit cards charged a 3% foreign transaction fee. Is this the same in Canada?

 

We had gotten the CapitalOne card to avoid those fees but it is not my main card and we would prefer to use another card instead. So are there foreign transaction fees on charges made in Canada?

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Philob]

Yes, a foreign transaction fee will be charged on you non-Capital One card.

 

I did advanced seat selection on WestJet (a Canadian airline) from the comfort of my home desk in San Francisco and forgot to use my Cap One or our Chase Sapphire card and was charged a 3% foreign transaction fee on the BofA card I used.

[RickT]

Maybe I'm not reading the question correctly but it is your credit card company that charges the 3% fee to do the currency exchange.

 

I'm in Canada and travel a lot to the US and Europe and one of my cards clearly shows the 3% currency exchange fee while the other card simply blends it in to the exchange rate. Either way I pay 3% more to charge foreign funds against my credit card. The same sort of charge appears on my US friends who come visit me.

 

Depending on where you are you may get the option of having your charge converted to US $ at the time of transaction. As long as you know what the correct exchange rate is this may be worthwhile but sometimes the option also includes a similar exchange charge.

[LHT28]

it would depend on the cc you have read the card rules

If you have a non Canadian card you will probably be charged a FTF unless your card does not charge FTF for out of the USA charges

[Giantfan13]

Thanks for the info.

 

You say that the chase Sapphire card also doesn't charge a FTF??

 

Cheers

 

Len

[VegasCrossfire]

We always use our Cap 1 card when traveling for the reason you posted. There are no "hidden" or "buried" fees with them.

Yes, I believe Chase's Sapphire card is the same, but they have an annual fee as far as I know.

[Philob]

Chase Sapphire does not add any foreign transaction fees; the first year is free, but after that its $95 a year (so far). You get something like 5x points for "travel" related charges.

[MATHA531]

I believe Canada has mandated its banks go the chip and pin route that has become so prevalent in Europe. There have been scattered reports, I emphasize not numerous, of Americans having some difficulties in some merchants using their antiquated credit cdards lacking emv chips. It doesn't seem to be a big problem at present.

 

Also just out of curiosity (and not meaning to be rude or anything like that) but if you know your credit card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, why would you think it wouldn't apply to Canadian charges. After all, by its very action of requiring passports for travel to and from Canada into the USA, the USA has shown that it considers Canada to be just another foreign destination and to hell with the garbage of the longest undefended and friendly border in the world. Just ask the European countries who have dropped in many places border formalities between member states of the eu while the USA has imposed them; so much so that about a year ago a fire brigade from Quebec responding to a request for assistance from a NY State town town with which it has always had a mutual agreement was stopped at the border and denied entrance to the USA because they didn't have passports! Hard to believe we're living in the 21st century.

[toes_in_sand]

Credit card teminals in Canada do require pin and chip technology. In restaurants, credit card machines are brought to your table, so your c.c never leaves your sight. Cards can be swiped and signature will be required. AMEX is still in the process of switching over to pin and chip.

 

 

As for the foreign ex., we have to pay the 2-3% ( or whatever your c.c. charges) so you should probably expect the same while using your card. Our dollar and the USD are floating around par.

 

Passports, we have to produce a passport while entering the USA, once again you should expect the same.

 

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[MATHA531]

Credit card teminals in Canada do require pin and chip technology. In restaurants, credit card machines are brought to your table, so your c.c never leaves your sight. Cards can be swiped and signature will be required. AMEX is still in the process of switching over to pin and chip.

 

 

As for the foreign ex., we have to pay the 2-3% ( or whatever your c.c. charges) so you should probably expect the same while using your card. Our dollar and the USD are floating around par.

 

Passports, we have to produce a passport while entering the USA, once again you should expect the same.

 

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The imposition of foreign transaction fees is 100% a function of how your bank wishes to rip you off. It is pure and simple a fee that is unadulterated garbage. There are many banks in the USA that do not charge this asinine fee. Cap One is one and the one usually recommended but none of their cards have the emv chips. Their attitude is that merchants are required to accept any valid mc or visa (try telling that to an unattended kiosk that only takes chipped cards!) Bank of America has a card called the travel rewards card with no annual fee, no foreign transaction fee and an emv chip although it is chip and signature not chip and pin which means it is inserted in the same slot as a chip and pin card but instead of prompting for a pin, it prints a receipt for you to sign. Several fcu's (federal credit unions) in the DC area issue cardit cards with an emv chip no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and the ability to act like a chip and pin card at unattended kiosks although it will function as chip and signature at most terminals where a human being is present. USAA offers a mastercard with no annual fee and a true chip and pin card (it is a mastercard) but unfortunately nails you with a 1% foreign currency fee.

 

As far as the passport issue is concerned, for decades no passport was necessary to travel between the US and Canada. I used t drive up to Montreal from NYC all the time and at the border, either way, it was a very quick exchange (where are you headed, how long were you in Canada or how long will you be in Canada, have a good day). However, we all know of all the trouble the USA is having at its southern border and so as not to be called racist, imposed the moronic requirements of needing a passport to cross the US/Canada border to keep the hoardes of illegal immigrants from crossing the USA/Canadian border (I suppose there might be 3 or 4 a year). Canada basically didn't want this and would drop their passport requirement in a second if the US would but to be politically correct, that's not likely. It's idiotic and in a certain sense pathetic, but that's the way it is.

[FritzG]

We just got notification that as of July 1 the United Airlines card through Chase won't be charging any foreign transaction fees. That's the card we'll be using for our Quebec to Fort Lauderdale cruise on the Emerald Princess.

[MATHA531]

We just got notification that as of July 1 the United Airlines card through Chase won't be charging any foreign transaction fees. That's the card we'll be using for our Quebec to Fort Lauderdale cruise on the Emerald Princess.

 

...but that card has an annual fee and as of now is not available with an emv chip (all of which may or may not be a big deal for you...oh those airline miles:D)

[FritzG]

...but that card has an annual fee and as of now is not available with an emv chip (all of which may or may not be a big deal for you...oh those airline miles:D)

 

Yes, it has an annual fee, but if you fly one round trip per year the free bag perk is less than the fee. This is the first time we've paid a fee for a card, but the perks outweigh the fee for us at this time. When we travel less we'll probably drop it.

[Taz]

The American Express Platinum card doesn't charge any foreign exchange fees, but it does come with a hefty annual fee. If you wouldn't be able to take advantage of it's other benefits, it's not worth the price.

[Gunner22aa]

With the exception of AMEX which is in the process of converting all Canadian credit cards are chip enabled. Non chip cards can still be swiped and the receipt signed. I use my card a lot and have only been to three places where I have seen a non chip card refused by the vendor here in Canada. Two major golf courses and one major dept store which also has their own credit card. I can't understand either the reluctance or just slowness of US based companies to move to chip cards. They have proven to reduce credit card fraud considerably. Not eliminate it but certainly reduce it.

[CruisinCadie]

What is an emv chip? I never heard of one before.

 

Also, where can I get some Canadian money for small purchases, such as stamps? Our first port in Canada is Halifax.

 

Thanks,

Kathy

[BCHappyGal]

I believe Canada has mandated its banks go the chip and pin route that has become so prevalent in Europe. There have been scattered reports, I emphasize not numerous, of Americans having some difficulties in some merchants using their antiquated credit cdards lacking emv chips. It doesn't seem to be a big problem at present.

 

Also just out of curiosity (and not meaning to be rude or anything like that) but if you know your credit card charges a 3% foreign transaction fee, why would you think it wouldn't apply to Canadian charges. After all, by its very action of requiring passports for travel to and from Canada into the USA, the USA has shown that it considers Canada to be just another foreign destination and to hell with the garbage of the longest undefended and friendly border in the world. Just ask the European countries who have dropped in many places border formalities between member states of the eu while the USA has imposed them; so much so that about a year ago a fire brigade from Quebec responding to a request for assistance from a NY State town town with which it has always had a mutual agreement was stopped at the border and denied entrance to the USA because they didn't have passports! Hard to believe we're living in the 21st century.

 

If that was the fire in Rouses Point NY that you are referring to those Border Guards lost their jobs over that too! The hotel burned to the ground due to the lack of help.

[LHT28]

What is an emv chip? I never heard of one before.

 

Also, where can I get some Canadian money for small purchases, such as stamps? Our first port in Canada is Halifax.

 

Thanks,

Kathy

EMV is just a term for Chip & pin cards

You probably can find an ATM near the port if not in the terminal or just purchase something with USD & you will get CAD change ;)

[luvscruising2007]

This thread brought up questions I had not yet thought about.

We do not have any cards with chips? Will businesses in Halifax or St.John's New Brunwick accept these cards?

We were in Canada before, and I don't remember ever getting Canadian currency. Will we be able to use our American money in these 2 ports?

Do the ships offer currency exchange?

We would not need a lot of money as we only plan small souveniers and maybe lunch.

[MATHA531]

What is an emv chip? I never heard of one before.

 

Also, where can I get some Canadian money for small purchases, such as stamps? Our first port in Canada is Halifax.

 

Thanks,

Kathy

 

emv = European mastercard visa....it is the chip used in credit cards in Europe and other places including Canada. Some USA banks do offer cards with emv chips although not all are chip and pin; some are chip and signature. Instead of entering a pin, the pos terminal spits out a receipt for the cardholder to sign.

 

Canadian funds are available at ATM's near the ports but for the most part, at least in St. John and Halifax, merchants will take US money although there is no obligation on their part to give yu a decent exchange rate. As of today, the Canadian dollar is worth 5% or so more than the US dollar so th merchant may offer you 10% (1 usd = 90¢ cad). Change will be in Canadian money but the coins are almost interchangeable at least they have been in the past. Using a credit card avoids all these hassles.

 

In answer to other questions here, US banks claim that to convert the entire US payment system to chip and pin would cost them more than they lose on fraud although there is a great deal of pressure being applied by mastercard/visa to do it sooner rather than later.

 

Yes there are some merchants in Canada who don't want to take US credit cards without chips (even though mc and visa claim their merchant agreements require them to do so). Some report that all McDonald's in BC will not touch US non chip cards. I don't think it will be a problem in the ports where the cruise ships dock, though.

[Brighton Line]

My past trip to Canada on the Glory I did not need Canadian currency in any of the two ports. I used US cash. One place I got back paper US and change Canadian, the other was just over $2 in Canadian in change. I had no problem with that.

In a month I will do the same thing, keep everything US cash why bother with the hassle.

 

NO the ship will not exchange money for you and the ship ATM dispenses US Cash and the Casino is US cash.

 

FWIW

[Gunner22aa]

Border cities and popular tourist destinations for US citizens readily accept US dollars for payment. You may however not get the most favourable exchange rate from merchants. Being charged 5% more than the actual exchange rate is common. Most shops display a sign with the exchange rate they are offering. You may get your change back in US dollars but more often than not it will be Cdn. Unless you have a need for a lot of Cdn money use bills no larger than a ten and you won't amass a huge chunk of paper money that you may never use again. Just so that you don't think you are being ripped off you should note that Cda no longer uses the penny and purchaces are rounded up or down to the nearest nickle. $1.01 and 1.02 become $1. 1.03 and 1.04 become $1.05. If you pay for something using a debit or credit card the transaction will show up on your account for the exact amount, no rounding up or down. Also note that there are no $1 or $2 dollar bills in Cda. They have been replaced by coins affectionatly (or not) refered to as the Looney and the Tooney.

[cruiseryyc]

.. US cash why bother with the hassle.FWIW

 

Because you are in a different country and it would be polite to use CDN money, after all, it is the only legal tender in Canada. Merchants are doing you a favour by accepting it, they don't have to. I would never think of trying to use CDN $ in the US.

[Winnigirl]

Because you are in a different country and it would be polite to use CDN money, after all, it is the only legal tender in Canada. Merchants are doing you a favour by accepting it, they don't have to. I would never think of trying to use CDN $ in the US.

 

I'm pretty sure no one in the USA would accept Canadian funds, anyway. I once put down a Canadian nickel by accident and it was pushed back to me like it was infected with the bubonic plague.

[Brighton Line]

Because you are in a different country and it would be polite to use CDN money, after all, it is the only legal tender in Canada. Merchants are doing you a favour by accepting it, they don't have to. I would never think of trying to use CDN $ in the US.

 

But I'm in a port city where the US cash is accepted as a courtesy for the visiting cruise ship guests. If if the merchant ships US cash why bother with the hassle of exchange it.

 

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