Canadians advise please - pay in US$ or Canadian?

[hedyc]

I would like to hear your experiences in booking - is it better to pay in US$ or CND$? I got burned by VISA when the price of the cruise went down and had to cancel one booking and make another with Celebrity (booking number needed to be new). VISA charged me over $100US to make the exchange - one cost to buy then another cost to sell). I did get the fees reversed after speaking to management at VISA. This was a one time only reversal. Now I have a booking in US$ and will certainly not change again.

I want to make a new booking for Xmas 2006 and wonder if Canadians have any advise on which currency is best to pay in?

Thanks in advance.

[alicia68]

If our dollar is high like it is now I always book in US funds. Just call visa and ask what the cost will be for that day, for instance, if the cruise is $1000.00 US ask visa what $1000.00 US would be in canadian dollars charged to your visa. Then call the cruiseline and have them price the exact same amount in canadian funds. This way you can see which way is best to go.

[C 2 C]

I have an American $ and a Canadian $ visa card. RBC's visa includes trip insurance of a sort... While on board if you book a cruise and have a Canadian TA, you will be charged in CDN $.. and the deposit is larger than if you were an American...

 

I recently cancelled a cruise booked more than a year ago... if that had been booked in US$ you lose the exchange difference. If you can book in CDN $ on a CDN card do it... the cruise exchange rates are pretty good and you won't lose if you change your mind...

 

Remember the card companies charge 2.5 % to buy/sell foreign currency...

I was once in Europe and a restaurant billed me 250.00 rather than 25.00 The mistake was caught and reversed but the credit card company charged me 2 % on the 250.00 both ways... for a zero sum sale...

[northerncruszr]

We look at the rates for all cruises we book in both U.S. and Cndn $ and compare what the cruise line is charging in exchange and what visa is charging. Most recently we have found the cruise line rate to be better than visa by the time we pay their 2.5%. At one time, just as our dollar started to get stronger, Celebrity was charging 1.56 while we could get it through visa at 1.42. They have really improved and on our last booking for a cruise Sept/06 their rate was 1.23. We took the cruise line rate as it is locked in for the year.

ml

[croftonbill]

is it true that if you book with an online T.A.that you do not have to pay gst.& pst??-i had earlier booked a cruise online that i had to cancel,that did not appear to be charging me the canadian taxes-is this a secret??

[Mr_Cruise]

Some helpful information:

 

Cruise lines set their exchange rates for CAD bookings annually. It's up to you to speculate on possible currency fluctuations as to whether or not you choose to book in a foreign currency, in this case USD.

 

If you price the cruise in CAD funds, and are comfortable with that fare, then book it. The rate will not change on you before final payment.

 

If you book it in USD, you assume the risk of the currency changing in either direction before the time of final payment.

[C 2 C]

is it true that if you book with an online T.A.that you do not have to pay gst.& pst??-i had earlier booked a cruise online that i had to cancel,that did not appear to be charging me the canadian taxes-is this a secret??

 

I book through a Vancouver TA and he has never charged GST. I don't fly out of Canada though and I have not been charged GST on flights out of Detroit.

[jasm8449]

I call Celebrity and ask for the prices in both US and Cdn. Sometimes the difference makes it more economical to pay in US.

[brandylane5102]

Hi Everyone - The Rates Will Always Be Best In U.s. Dollars. What You Should Do Is Open A U.s. Dollar Account And Get A U.s. Dollar Credit Card From Your Bank. It's Easy To Do - - And Then You Save All The Hassles With Conversions.

[ladysail2]

...are you saying that a Canadian can acquire a US dollar credit card? Would that be through a Canadian Visa/Mastercard or through an American credit card company?

 

Whenever I look at the requirement to apply for a US credit card..it says that one must be a resident of the United States.

 

I really appreciate your input. Thank You!

[balconyonly]

All the major canadian banks issue "US dollar" credit cards, coupled with a US dollar savings account it can be a great way to go. It's not worth if you just do 1 trip every year or two but if you travel frequently to the US it is well worth it.

 

example here is TDCanadaTrust's one

 

http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/tdvisa/usd.jsp

[C 2 C]

I had a CIBC US$ credit card with no advantages but the denomination exchange... ie fill up gas, trips, hotels in US funds.

 

I switched to RBC card because it offers rental car insurance, limited trip cancellation insurance, can be accessed online to check statement and bonus points on spending. I have not checked the others but they all cost an annual fee... get somthing for the fee.

 

It is very handy if you use it quite a bit. For on board trip purchases it comes in very handy.

[ladysail2]

Thank you so much, Balconyonly, and C2C. I am going to definitely check into that. Perhaps I'll exchange my TD Visa to a US Visa card. I do shop, and we do alot of weekend excursions into the US...that card would come in very handy. :D

[Mr_Cruise]

Sometimes companies charging in USD require that the billing address be at a US address. If you live near the border as some people I know in Canada do, you can get a P.O. box in the USA to use as your billing address, then view the balance and make all payments online therefore not havng to physically collect the mail/invoice every month from the P.O. box.

 

Just another alternative.

 

Also, if you book it in USD charged to a CAD funds credit card, just pay it in full right away. Then the currency exchange can't "bite you" at final payment...and the full amount would be refundable up until the final payment date, usually 75 days prior to sailing, anyways.

[MortgageChick]

Always book in USD> I have 2 TA's one in Florida and once in Michigan. Really enjoying the curernt exchange rate. None of the local TA's seem to have much cruising experience and I found myself being more knowledgeable than they were. Also pricing from local TA"s cannot touch what I am offered by the two TA's I use. I book my own hotels air and transfers and purchase my own trip cancellation insurance. I only use those that don't charge any service charges (other than what the cruiselines charge )to cancel. We cruise 2 or 3 times a year and sometimes we have to cancel and re book another ship or date.

 

Next up ,Summit Sept 16, 14 nights

[balconyonly]

Even if you live in Canada and book with a Canadian credit card you always have the option of booking in US dollars. I do it all the time. When you book with RCI/Celebrity just insist you want the booking in US dollars.

[Mr_Cruise]

Even if you live in Canada and book with a Canadian credit card you always have the option of booking in US dollars. I do it all the time. When you book with RCI/Celebrity just insist you want the booking in US dollars.

 

 

You can only do that if it's a cruise only booking, no cruise line air. If flights are required via the cruise line originating from your local Canadian air gateway, then the reservation must be booked in CAD funds.

[hedyc]

You are actually able to pay for everything in US $. It is totally your choice. The cruise line just books your VISA - they don't know if it is a CND or US VISA. VISA then charges you the going rate that day.

[Mr_Cruise]

Yes, but if you require flights through the cruise line the reservations must be made in the local currency. That's the way their systems work.

[Cruise Junky]

No so....we booked through a US online agency and if we'd have booked air, it would have been in US. I talked to them repeatedly and they do absolutely nothing in Canadian dollars. The cruise ships might, but a TA shouldn't have to. Heck, I can go through Travelocity.com and book canadian flights in US funds, so there's no reason a TA can't.

[Mr_Cruise]

I'm not suggesting that a general TA couldn't book flights in either currency.

 

What I'm saying is that if booking the flights through the cruse line's air sea program, and your air gateway is in Canada, then your reservations in their entirety would have to be in CAD funds as their systems typically will not allow a cruise/air reservation from a Canadian air gateway to be made in USD.

[jasm8449]

Since I find that US rates are better (after checking with Celebrity), I use an online US agency to book my cruise, and I make my own air reservations from Canada in Cdn. dollars. Has worked for me several times. Plus the online agency usually has some deal or perks that work in my favour.

[ladysail2]

Great suggestions from everyone! It's so true that better deals are to be had using US agencies..it seems.

Mr. Cruise...that's a great idea about using a US PO Box for the US billing. Thank goodness for online banking!

Always like having ways to spend more of my $$ on 'my' stuff!!