Rare cachouonacruise Posted February 22, 2017 #1 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Hi all, I don't remember reading about this and I am not sure how to research it, so I apologize in advance, if this is already covered. Upon completion of the on-line check-in, Celebrity asks which program we want to use to convert money for charges to be made on our credit card, used for the sea pass account, ( in my case, it would mean converting US dollars, into CDN) and two options are provided: The Celebrity Conversion program and the Credit Card Issuer program. Has anyone ever gone through the trouble of comparing the two programs and determine if they were equivalent or if one is more advantageous? If so, I would definitely welcome the expertise! Thank-you, very much in advance. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruise Junky Posted February 22, 2017 #2 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Usually, you'll get a better rate letting your credit card do the conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marie61 Posted February 22, 2017 #3 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Our credit card charges 3% for US$ conversions. Ask Celebrity what they are charging but I think you'd be wise to decline their offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingnut2005 Posted February 22, 2017 #4 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Celebrity also charges 3% on top of exchange rate. We bypass this by having a U.S dollar bank account with U.S. dollar credit card so we only pay exchange rate Sent from my SM-T280 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mom says Posted February 22, 2017 #5 Share Posted February 22, 2017 We let the credit card handle the conversion. Some credit cards don't charge a foreign conversion fee, and their exchange rate is usually as good as you're going to get. Even if they do charge a fee, their exchange rate will likely be better than what the cruise line will give. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamloops50 Posted February 22, 2017 #6 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Hi all, I don't remember reading about this and I am not sure how to research it, so I apologize in advance, if this is already covered. Upon completion of the on-line check-in, Celebrity asks which program we want to use to convert money for charges to be made on our credit card, used for the sea pass account, ( in my case, it would mean converting US dollars, into CDN) and two options are provided: The Celebrity Conversion program and the Credit Card Issuer program. Has anyone ever gone through the trouble of comparing the two programs and determine if they were equivalent or if one is more advantageous? If so, I would definitely welcome the expertise! Thank-you, very much in advance. Sent from my iPad using Forums Keep in mind the Celebrity program is done by another company in Ireland not Celebrity itself. You'll pay the 3% charge by the country and another 2.5% charge by your credit card company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruising cockroach Posted February 22, 2017 #7 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Some credit cards don't charge a foreign conversion fee,. For Canadians. one that does is the Amazon Visa (issued through Chase). There may be few other but not too many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamloops50 Posted February 22, 2017 #8 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Canadian banks hide the 2.5% charge as part of the exchange rate. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted February 22, 2017 #9 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Our credit card charges 3% for US$ conversions. Ask Celebrity what they are charging but I think you'd be wise to decline their offer. US Credit Card companies that charge 3% to convert a purchase to US $ also charge 3% even if the foreign transaction was sent to them in US $. If Canadian banks do the same, then you would have the 3% ship conversion fee plus the banks foreign transaction fee. Might as well just have the bank fo the conversion and avoid the ship's fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyboy Posted February 22, 2017 #10 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I agree with prior posts that the Credit Card Issuer Program will be more advantageous for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted February 22, 2017 #11 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Usually, you'll get a better rate letting your credit card do the conversion. Yes, if you read what the consumer advocates say on their websites, it is always better to stick with the credit card conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandream Posted February 22, 2017 #12 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Yes, if you read what the consumer advocates say on their websites, it is always better to stick with the credit card conversion. Correct, you should always decline this in stores that offer the conversion as well. Best to use a CC with no foreign transaction fees (if you have one) and always let the CC do the conversion. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickT Posted February 22, 2017 #13 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I've done both and agree that letting your credit card company do it makes the most sense. If you think your onboard bill might be high, it's worth checking out what Celebrity is selling OBC for. Sometimes they have a set exchange rate that is a few points better than the going rate. You can also call and see how much it is to buy OBC and figure out the exchange. A few years back we saved 10% by doing that. Worth a call to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1982CruzStart Posted February 22, 2017 #14 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I've done both and agree that letting your credit card company do it makes the most sense. If you think your onboard bill might be high, it's worth checking out what Celebrity is selling OBC for. Sometimes they have a set exchange rate that is a few points better than the going rate. You can also call and see how much it is to buy OBC and figure out the exchange. A few years back we saved 10% by doing that. Worth a call to see. i agree. We bought OBC for one cruise that was at a very favorable rate compared to what we could buy in the market. As someone else mentioned we also use a USD credit card for all our USD purchases and then buy USD at the most favorable rate we can find to pay off the credit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cachouonacruise Posted February 22, 2017 Author #15 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Wow! Thank you very much for the excellent feed-back! I really appreciate your expertise! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrispee Posted February 23, 2017 #16 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Don't forget that you can just convert to USD finding the best bank or currency exchange at home, and then pay your tab off in cash on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoddaj1 Posted February 23, 2017 #17 Share Posted February 23, 2017 We have a Chase Marriott Visa card which has first year free and no currency conversion fees. If you search around you can probably find a promo that will give you 50 000 Marriott points which you can use for a few hotel stays, depending on the level chosen. Plus you get a night free when your year renews. We are very happy with how this has worked out for us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cachouonacruise Posted February 23, 2017 Author #18 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Thank you very much for the help and suggestions! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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