Don't Blame HAL for Exchange Rates

[OceanTraveller4ever]

Too bad the above comment nullified this one:

 

sounded like I was another Canadian basher -

 

No worry Donald Trump is the primo Canuck basher.....

 

A very unsavory fellow :).. and he never sailed on HAL ;)

Edited February 6, 2016 by jpelleti007

[iancal]

Canadians can obtain a no fee Amazon Visa card.

 

The card is in Canadian dollars. It has one significant difference over other Canadian bank Visa cards. It does NOT charge the hidden 2.5 percent admin charge on foreign currency transactions.

 

We use this card extensively for all foreign purchases. We load it up with cash and also use it for ATM withdrawals in foreign countries.

 

Why give the bank money when you do not have to? 2.5 percent is a very high fee.

[cruz chic]

Canadians can obtain a no fee Amazon Visa card.

 

The card is in Canadian dollars. It has one significant difference over other Canadian bank Visa cards. It does NOT charge the hidden 2.5 percent admin charge on foreign currency transactions.

 

We use this card extensively for all foreign purchases. We load it up with cash and also use it for ATM withdrawals in foreign countries.

 

Why give the bank money when you do not have to? 2.5 percent is a very high fee.

 

I have a scotiabank mc momentum, formerly Sears MasterCard that doesn't charge the admin fee. That said, it doesn't solve Hal issues with Hal holding money for no good reason.

[realnurse2]

I'll have to check out the Amazon Visa card ! I just usually preload my bank charge card but hey, 2 1/2 % can add up quickly. Thanks! :D

[iancal]

Our bank charges a hidden 2.5 percent on foreign ATM withdrawals. We simply load up the card with cash and then do a cash advance. No interest charges because we have a credit balance.

 

The cash advance ATM fee is the one percent, minimum $5. We usually withdraw about $700 at a time. The saving for us is about $12. Not so good if you are withdrawing small amounts. But it is great for Visa purchases.

 

We travel frequently. This card saves us a fair amount of money each year. Last year about $600 on Visa purchases and ATM withdrawals.

[Lizzie68]

I'll have to check out the Amazon Visa card ! I just usually preload my bank charge card but hey, 2 1/2 % can add up quickly. Thanks! :D

 

I have used the Sears/Chase/Scotia card for years and saved a lot of money on my US and UK transactions.

[serendipity1499]

Perhaps your friends are in a better financial position then some Canadians since they spend part of the year in the USA. Most people I know can't even afford to visit for two weeks. The usa credit cards I've seen come with a hefty yearly fee. That's just adding insult to injury. While that may work for some folks it shouldn't be expected that is a remedy for everyone. Hal should not be holding onto money from Canadians for two weeks for a dinner they know they don't do any more. There is no way to put a positive spin on that.

 

Cruise chic, I'm confused.. Are you saying that you as a Canadian can't get a US credit card without a yearly fee?

 

We do not pay any yearly or monthly fee on any of our credit cards.. DH has an A. T & T Universal Credit Card & a Capital One Card which I can use...

 

I have a Chase Freedom Card & another Capital One Card which he can use..No annual or monthly fees on any of them..

 

So in effect we both have 4 credit cards, 4 different accounts & don't pay any yearly or monthly fee on any of them..

 

For Foreign Purchases we use our Capital One cards as they do not charge a Currency Conversion fee.. We also requested that our Capital One Credit Cards have a low Dollar allowance, in case they are stolen or lost..

 

Can't you get one of those?

[kazu]

Cruise chic, I'm confused.. Are you saying that you as a Canadian can't get a US credit card without a yearly fee?

 

 

 

We do not pay any yearly or monthly fee on any of our credit cards.. DH has an A. T & T Universal Credit Card & a Capital One Card which I can use...

 

 

 

I have a Chase Freedom Card & another Capital One Card which he can use..No annual or monthly fees on any of them..

 

 

 

So in effect we both have 4 credit cards, 4 different accounts & don't pay any yearly or monthly fee on any of them..

 

 

 

For Foreign Purchases we use our Capital One cards as they do not charge a Currency Conversion fee.. We also requested that our Capital One Credit Cards have a low Dollar allowance, in case they are stolen or lost..

 

 

 

Can't you get one of those?

 

 

Not Cruz chic but I am unaware of any U.S. $ credit cards for Canadians that do not carry a fee. Capital One does not offer a U.S. $ card.

 

There may be 1 but I haven't seen it;)

[teamflames]

Firstly thanks Tom for re-opening the wound.

 

Now let me try and make it very clear what I said and what my opinion is.

 

BUT first why don't I give some background to myself. I am Australian (never mentioned CAD). I worked for 13 years in banking with most of that dealing with exchange rates, so feel I have some experience in the field. I have travelled for more than 20 years, more than 50 countries, for the last 4 years after selling my home have been permanently travelling. Have bank accounts in 3 different countries in 4 different currencies. Hope all that qualifies me to have some idea on exchange rates.

 

I contributed to a post about the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing OBC in advance (and other onboard products). I used a specific example of my experience as a non American to show where a disadvantage lies (ie exposure to currency fluctuations in the event of refunds). At no point did I blame HAL for the currency movement. I did express FRUSTRATION at HAL policy that it could not be converted to OBC and thereby avoid any problems for either party ESPECIALLY as it was HAL who cancelled NOT me (and further frustrated by the length of time that took after notifying me to actually make the refund).

 

Sevenseas agreed but made the sensible point that not worth chasing if only a few dollars (which it is and hence why I have not chased it). Another poster like you TOM decided you didn't like my explanation (and that of sevenseas) and like yourself tried to simplify the issue and in doing so like you made several mistakes. She even tried to use an analogy, which was in fact wrong. I found this offensive (as I do your post) but in expressing this I upset many.

 

My POINT, is not about HAL it is simply a suggestion that OTHERS who may be considering purchasing items or OBC in non USD be aware (and it could be a considerable financial loss if HAL choose to cancel an entire cruise).

 

I have also pointed to the NCL board where several Canadians are expressing their FRUSTRATION that they were told incorrectly they could purchase up to $5,000 of OBC and did so only to be later told they could only have $1,000 thereby causing them financial loss.

 

I TRULY believe that my sentiment (and those on the NCL) board are valid. I have not blamed HAL for exchange rate movement, I have simply warned others what the risks are if HAL cancels anything. I wish that you and the others who have disagreed with my sentiments had done so in a more RESPECTFUL manner and in arguing a different case had not CHANGED the facts.

 

I truly hope this ends all the misunderstanding and helps others in their decision making process. BTW despite all this I am very excited about my upcoming cruise on the Koningsdam with HAL.

 

Kind Regards

 

James

[iancal]

We only had a USD Visa card (and there was a fee) when we had funds in our USD bank account. We routinely rec'd USD cheques. We were not about to pay over the odds exchange to change it to CAD and then back again to USD when we had to pay our USD Visa bill or make purchases in USD.

 

We no longer get USD cheques and our USD bank account is low enough that we just use it to get USD cash.

 

So, there is little point to us having a USD Visa. Our Chase Visa replaced it. It is much better for us. The big plus for us is that most of our travel is in Europe or Asia. We are not doing any US travel or purchasing US travel products at the moment nor do we see ourselves doing it for at least another 12-18 months.

 

We have had the card for three plus years. Our savings, compared to our usual bank issued Visa card, are substantial. I conservatively estimate that we have avoided just under $1500 CAD in hidden bank fees that our CIBC or Royal banks would have otherwise charged.

Edited February 6, 2016 by iancal

[Alberta Quilter]

Team flames, I understand and agree with you. I think HAL's policy is to refund to the credit card if the cancellation is done pre cruise and to the onboard account if the cancellation is made during the cruise which works just fine if the credit card is a USD card. It would be nice if HAL offered us a choice as to how we would like to receive the refund, either as OBC or to the original credit card.

[RuthC]

Teamflames, that was a well presented explanation, without emotion, of the situation.

It's a pity, though, that you were put in a position that you felt you had to defend yourself, and explain again what you had said in the first place.

[serendipity1499]

Not Cruz chic but I am unaware of any U.S. $ credit cards for Canadians that do not carry a fee. Capital One does not offer a U.S. $ card.

 

There may be 1 but I haven't seen it;)

 

That is a shame, I always thought that you could get a US card in Canada..Am I correct in saying that only those who have a US address can obtain a fee free US dollar visa or Master card?

 

Teamflames, that was a well presented explanation, without emotion, of the situation.

It's a pity, though, that you were put in a position that you felt you had to defend yourself, and explain again what you had said in the first place.

 

I also agree with Ruth Teamflames as that is exactly how I read your original explanation.. IMO HAL having sold you something IN ERROR should have made you whole & you should not have lost money.. Or HAL should have been willing to convert that sale to OBC.. I knew by your posts that you were not blaming HAL for the fluctuation, & I would have been just as annoyed as you were.. I suspect that the HAL person who handled the refund did not know how to convert the sale to OBC, but I could be wrong..

 

Even though it's only a few dollars, it's worth looking into, IMO..

 

[kazu]

That is a shame, I always thought that you could get a US card in Canada..Am I correct in saying that only those who have a US address can obtain a fee free US dollar visa or Master card?

 

we can get a U.S. $ card from the Canadian institutions that offer them, with a fee.

 

To get a true U.S credit card from a U.S. financial institution, you do require a U.S. address as well as a U.S. dollar account in the U.S. if memory seves me correctly.

[teamflames]

I would like to thank those of you who have expressed your support (Ruth, Serendipity, Alberta, Sevenseas etc), I truly appreciate it. On the last thread (the link does not show all that was said) and the original post in this thread shocked me. On the last thread many regular posters made me out to be aggressive and questioned my "motives".

I have actually sent an email to the administrators asking why the last thread was cancelled and seeking clarification of whether guidelines were broken (by me or others).

On the last thread I was told to "drop" this conversation yet another poster here has chosen to start a whole new thread and when challenged by you has admitted he did so truly to discredit my view. Even if you disagree with a view people are entitled to have it.

Thanks again for taking the time to read what I wrote and clarify what I have said all along and not allow this person to incorrectly paraphrase me for their own gain.

Kind regards and happy cruising

James

[Tom O.]

Teamflames - Sorry I reopened this discussion. And I believe I misunderstood your post on the other thread - my mistake. Thank you for your explanation here.

Good luck, and happy cruising.

[teamflames]

Teamflames - Sorry I reopened this discussion. And I believe I misunderstood your post on the other thread - my mistake. Thank you for your explanation here.

Good luck, and happy cruising.

 

Cheers Tom, appreciate this. Hope to share a drink on a HAL ship in the future.

 

Regards

 

James