US Credit Card in Canada

[CJMini]

Our last cruise to Alaska was in 2018.  At YVR we attempted to purchase a Compass Day Pass at the kiosk using our Visa.  Unknown to us, a PIN number was required for the transaction to be completed.  We ended up exchanging money and paid cash for our Pass.

 

Fast forward to June 2024…we will be spending day prior to our cruise in Vancouver.  Our VISA credit card has the Tap/Chip function.  We will be traveling with two other couples (they have Tap/Chip function).  Will it be necessary for us to contact our US banking institutions and request Pin numbers?

 

Thanks in advance,

CJ

[CruiserBruce]

No. The only likely place a PIN might be required is unstaffed ticket machines or similar. Otherwise, tap cards should be fine. Internationally, it is well known that US issued credit cards generally (there are a few that do...we carry one) don't have PINs.

 

We will be in Canada on a land trip in about 3 weeks. Make sure your credit card and bank (for your ATM card) knows you will be out of the US.

[CJMini]

Thank you for your response.  Hopefully the Skytrain kiosk at YVR will be accommodating with just our credit card and no Pin.

[martincath]

1 hour ago, CJMini said:

Thank you for your response.  Hopefully the Skytrain kiosk at YVR will be accommodating with just our credit card and no Pin.

Just Tap the cards directly on the fare gates, don't bother with the ticket machine at all!

 

The only reason to not do this is if you are entitled to Concession fares and are willing to figure out your required Zones etc. by yourself to save a buck or so per person - tapping directly saves you time and costs exactly the same as a regular Adult fare, with all the math done by the system based on where you then tap back out.

 

Just be sure to tap out with the same card - if you have more than one chip card in your wallet take the one you want to use out, as multiple NFC capable cards in a wallet basically one of them will be billed but not necessarily the same one as last time so instead of one accurate transaction (Card X went from YVR to Downtown = 2 zone fare + AddFare) you will be hit with 2 maximum fares (Card X boarded at YVR and never left the system; Card Y boarded downtown, never left the system; both get billed 3 Zones with X also getting an AddFare!)

[CJMini]

Martincath,

Many many thanks for your post.  You are a wealth of information and I’m sure there are so many Cruise Critic readers who have benefited from your advice/ suggestions.

CJ

[wolfie11]

Highly recommend using your smartphone to pay.  I’ve travelled literally around the world in the last few years and it is accepted almost everywhere.  Very secure.  You never have to get out or hand over your credit card.

[Jnsplace1]

I ended up setting up mine with a PIN as I was traveling to EU.  A few years ago, I had to call the company to set it up.  Now a days, might be through the help chat on said company's website.

 

IMO, it's worth setting up just in case the "tap" doesn't work, or what have you.  I've experienced that as well.

[Mbcruiser704]

Sky train you will be fine with tap, but if you are making a larger purchase, PIN may be required.

[teagues]

For SkyTrain, does each person in a group need their own credit card with a unique card number? Or can a single card be use to tap in and tap out everyone in the group?

[martincath]

11 hours ago, teagues said:

For SkyTrain, does each person in a group need their own credit card with a unique card number? Or can a single card be use to tap in and tap out everyone in the group?

1 card per person. The system tracks the card from first tap to last (or just times out at 90mins if you are on a bus, which you only tap to enter not exit), compares which Zones those were in, bills accordingly.

 

I don't think retapping the same card from outside will even work to open the gate a second time - if it does, it may have actually just immediately tapped you out back out again (which is free within a few minutes, if done at the same station) but regardless, at least some of your party will be guilty of fare evasion (as an automated system, it's rare to get checked by Translink staff or Transit Police, but if you are the fine is almost a hundred times higher than a basic adult fare!)

Edited May 1 by martincath

[teagues]

7 minutes ago, martincath said:

1 card per person. The system tracks the card from first tap to last (or just times out at 90mins if you are on a bus, which you only tap to enter not exit), compares which Zones those were in, bills accordingly.

 

I don't think retapping the same card from outside will even work to open the gate a second time - if it does, it may have actually just immediately tapped you out back out again (which is free within a few minutes, if done at the same station) but regardless, at least some of your party will be guilty of fare evasion (as an automated system, it's rare to get checked by Translink staff or Transit Police, but if you are the fine is almost a hundred times higher than a basic adult fare!)

Thanks for explaining.  We'll plan on a unique card for each person.

[frugaltravel]

Regarding using a US credit card in Canada, be sure if you are prompted to NOT have the company convert the amount from Canadian dollars to US dollars "for your convenience."  This is called Dynamic Currency Conversion and is ALWAYS a loss for the credit card holder.  Let your own US bank do the conversion.