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Watch out for Credit Card fees when travelling to Canada



 
 
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  #41  
Old August 11th, 2008, 09:58 PM posted to alt.rec.camping,alt.rv,alt.travel.canada,rec.outdoors.rv-travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
Hatunen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,483
Default Watch out for Credit Card fees when travelling to Canada

On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:52:46 -0400, pltrgyst
wrote:

On Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:40:52 -0700, "Mimi" wrote:

I'm surprised you found hotels in Europe that cashed travelers' checks.


I didn't. But they accepted them for the hotel bill.


I can't help wondering what exchange rate they gave....

--
************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
  #42  
Old August 12th, 2008, 01:01 AM posted to alt.rec.camping,alt.rv,alt.travel.canada,rec.outdoors.rv-travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
Dash Riprock
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Watch out for Credit Card fees when travelling to Canada

Credit card fees are inevitable and they charge a fee either way you make
the exchange. Last December I was accidentally charged $1,300(usd) for a
conference that I was attending in Vancouver BC. (I am Canadian, and so was
the MasterCard company just not the event organizer). Well the MasterCard
company charged the 1,300, the applicable exchange rate and of course their
fee. I should not have been charged at all so I contacted MasterCard to
have the charge removed, and since the event organizer agreed this wasn't an
issue.

Skip ahead to the end of the month, on my MasterCard invoice I noticed that
they removed the $1,300, but since the exchange rate fluctuated and they
always charge a fee on currency conversions I still ended up owing $65.00 in
exchange/fees.. It was quite a fight, and since I didn't give a dam I
issued the ultimatum that I did not authorize the charge so I wasn't paying
a cent to have it removed and they could take me to court or collections to
recover it... and I was going to drop their card if I had to spend another
minute discussing it over the phone with the multitude of people that didn't
know or care what they were talking about. I won, but the lady on the phone
snottily said next time have the company do a void on the transaction so
this wouldn't happen again. If I knew they were going to do it, I would have
stopped it at the instant it happened not the next month when I noticed it
on my invoice.

Banks/Lawyers/Insurance Companies and the Oil Companies all have one thing
in common... and it has something to do with bending people over.

DR


"Rtavi" wrote in message
...
We just got back from a 2 month trip to East Coast and Canada.--

Beautiful
and loved it despite $1.59/Liter for diesel!
I have always been told to use a credit card when out of the US since you
get the benefit of paying in Canada Dollars which are running at about

$.95
US then the credit card company converts your charge to $US. As far as

this
goes, it is true and I saved about $25 when the transactions were posted.
What I was not aware of was that CITI card charges a "Foreign Transaction
Fee" on every purchase. This totaled up to a charge of over $100 US.

It's
my fault for not reading all the fine print but this didn't happen 7 years
ago when I was using an ATT card in Canada. I just wanted to let you guys
to be aware of this. I should have done what I did with some of my cash

on
hand which was to go to a Royal Bank of Canada and have them change $100

US
to Canadian for a $3 fee so that I would have pocket money.(btw Canadian
money is pretty) that would have been cheaper .
Anyway we had a great trip and I wanted to save you guys some cash. Don't
be a dummy like me!




  #43  
Old August 12th, 2008, 03:04 AM posted to alt.rec.camping,alt.rv,alt.travel.canada,rec.outdoors.rv-travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
Rog'
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 892
Default Watch out for Credit Card fees when travelling to Canada

"Dash Riprock" wrote:
Credit card fees are inevitable and they charge a fee either way you make
the exchange. Last December I was accidentally charged $1,300(usd)
for a conference that I was attending in Vancouver BC. (I am Canadian,
and so was the MasterCard company just not the event organizer). Well
the MasterCard company charged the 1,300, the applicable exchange
rate and of course their fee. I should not have been charged at all so I
contacted MasterCard to have the charge removed, and since the event
organizer agreed this wasn't an issue.
... I won, but the lady on the phone snottily said next time have the
company do a void on the transaction so this wouldn't happen again. If
I knew they were going to do it, I would have stopped it at the instant it
happened not the next month when I noticed it on my invoice.

-----------------
You made a good point about the transaction fee, but I also wonder if
or why you did not contact the vendor about reversing charge. To me,
that's a quicker and more certain solution than waiting for the CC issuer
to consider your dispute.

Recently, I was accidentally double-charged by a local restaurant. I
simply called the manager, gave him the date + transaction #'s, and a
few days later received a credit for the second charge.





  #44  
Old August 12th, 2008, 03:21 AM posted to alt.rec.camping,alt.rv,alt.travel.canada,rec.outdoors.rv-travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
Dave Smith
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 655
Default Watch out for Credit Card fees when travelling to Canada

Rog' wrote:

Recently, I was accidentally double-charged by a local restaurant. I
simply called the manager, gave him the date + transaction #'s, and a
few days later received a credit for the second charge.


You're lucky. It must have been an accident and they corrected it. I once got a
Visa statement and there were two charges for a restaurant where I had used my
Visa card, one for the day we ate there and one for two days later. I called
Visa right away. They called the restaurant and they said they would credit my
account. They didn't. I called again, Visa said they would ask the restaurant
for a hard copy and if they didn't get it I would not be liable for the charge.
Still didn't get it.

It went on for 5 or 6 months, until I happened to be going by the place and
went it (in uniform|) and demanded payment. They gave me a cheque and I cashed
it immediately. A few days later someone from Visa called and asked if the
problem had been resolved. I told her about the cheque, and she said that was
good because...... after so much time had passed there wasn't much they could
do.. The *******s!!! I had contacted them as soon as I got the statement and
saw the fraudulent charge. If they had contacted the restaurant and demanded a
hard copy and didn't get on within the specified time, Visa should have credited
my account and gone after the restaurant.

  #45  
Old August 12th, 2008, 04:40 AM posted to alt.rec.camping,alt.rv,alt.travel.canada,rec.outdoors.rv-travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
MI
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 106
Default Watch out for Credit Card fees when travelling to Canada




On 8/11/08 7:21 PM, in article , "Dave Smith"
wrote:

Rog' wrote:

Recently, I was accidentally double-charged by a local restaurant. I
simply called the manager, gave him the date + transaction #'s, and a
few days later received a credit for the second charge.


You're lucky. It must have been an accident and they corrected it. I once got
a
Visa statement and there were two charges for a restaurant where I had used my
Visa card, one for the day we ate there and one for two days later. I called
Visa right away. They called the restaurant and they said they would credit my
account. They didn't. I called again, Visa said they would ask the restaurant
for a hard copy and if they didn't get it I would not be liable for the
charge.
Still didn't get it.

It went on for 5 or 6 months, until I happened to be going by the place and
went it (in uniform|) and demanded payment. They gave me a cheque and I
cashed
it immediately. A few days later someone from Visa called and asked if the
problem had been resolved. I told her about the cheque, and she said that was
good because...... after so much time had passed there wasn't much they could
do.. The *******s!!! I had contacted them as soon as I got the statement and
saw the fraudulent charge. If they had contacted the restaurant and demanded a
hard copy and didn't get on within the specified time, Visa should have
credited
my account and gone after the restaurant.


I once had the same thing happen. I phoned MasterCard and they checked, saw
what had happened and just charged it back to the restaurant. From the
sounds of things around here, I was lucky.

--
Martha T2 Canada
1500mg. Metformin, 4mg. Avandia

  #46  
Old August 12th, 2008, 05:12 AM posted to alt.rec.camping,alt.rv,alt.travel.canada,rec.outdoors.rv-travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
Rog'
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 892
Default Watch out for Credit Card fees when travelling to Canada

"MI" wrote:
I once had the same thing happen [double charged]. I phoned
MasterCard and they checked, saw what had happened and
just charged it back to the restaurant. From the sounds of things
around here, I was lucky.


Once, a waiter changed a digit on my charge slip to increase their
tip. The restaurant, of course, had no idea what I was talking
about. The CC issuer sent me a copy of their slip and asked if I
had a copy that showed anything different. As luck would have it,
I had saved my carbon copy.

OTOH, some CC issuers are pro-consumer. Chase has called
me about questionable charges B4 I saw them (and they were
right!), they have been quick to credit disputed charges when
my claim was subjective, and once accidentally gave me double
credit (which I called to correct).


  #47  
Old August 14th, 2008, 12:12 AM posted to alt.rec.camping,alt.rv,alt.travel.canada,rec.outdoors.rv-travel,rec.travel.usa-canada
NewMan
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Watch out for Credit Card fees when travelling to Canada

I live in Canada, and I visit the USA often.

What the Canadian banks do is to manipulate the rate. That is, if the
"prime" exchange rate posted is that $1 US dollar is worth $1.10, then
what the bank states is that they will "buy" US$ from you for $1.05 or
they will "Sell" US$ to you for $1.15.

In essense, the fee is burried in the point spread between "buy" and
"sell" around prime rate.

When I visit the USA and use my credit card, the exchange rate spead
is quite good, but there is small fee added to every transaction.
Still, it does not work out too badly.


On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:34:26 -0400, "Tom J"
wrote:

Hatunen wrote:
On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:46:05 -0400, "Tom J"
wrote:


I don't think you can get a credit card from anyone anymore that
doesn't charge a fee for Foreign exchange.

Also, the next time you visit Canada, ask if there is a fee before
exchanging cash. I have never paid a fee to exchange cash in
Canada.
I have walked out the door of a few banks and gone down the street
to
another bank.


Do be prepated with the current "real" exchange rate from a
source like Oanda. Many exchange desks and companies don't charge
a fee, but they get you with a bad exchange rate.


I do know what the official exchange rate is before I walk into a bank
when in Canada. Haven't been the last 2 years, but in 15 trips with
the RV & over 30 with an 18 wheeler, I never paid a bank a fee above
the standard exchange, even when it was $1.00 US to $1.56 Canadian.
There was a time in the early 90's that the 5th Wheel Truck Stops
would even pay a premium for US cash.

Tom J


 




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