using my Cdn visa in the USA.

[UrbanPoet]

Would i be able to use my Canadian Visa in the US?
Would i be charged any service fee, or would i just be hit with Visa's exchange rate (which probably isnt as good as the bank).

[Rehan]

http://www.cibc.com/ca/faq/credit-cards.html#q6 says:
How does my credit card issuer figure out my exchange rate for purchases in the US?
VISA International converts all foreign transactions to Canadian funds at a preferred rate. The exchange rate also includes a conversion fee, presently at 2.5%. This fee is to offset the costs incurred by VISA International and CIBC in offering a worldwide VISA service. It is important to note that this is a more expensive transaction than a domestic transaction. Below is an example of the conversion calculation:

Original amount of purchase is $50 US
The rate of exchange is @ 1.54
Canadian amount $77.00 +2.5% conversion fee = $1.93
The total amount recorded on your statement would be $78.93 Cdn.

The exchange rate is set at the time of purchase and it will vary according to date and time.

[Riffer]

Further to the post above, cash from the bank is usually at 4%, so you save using VISA + you get points or whatever.

[cipher]

Phone Visa first before you travel to let them know you'll be using your card in a foreign country.

[CSR]

Further to the post above, cash from the bank is usually at 4%, so you save using VISA + you get points or whatever.

Wow really? 4%... that's hefty.

[Kommander_KornFlakes]

Phone Visa first before you travel to let them know you'll be using your card in a foreign country.

Why should he? I took my VISA to 3 different countries (Central America) and was able to purchase, eat and withdraw money without any hitches or hindrances, and without letting anybody know about it.

[j3fan]

Why should he? I took my VISA to 3 different countries (Central America) and was able to purchase, eat and withdraw money without any hitches or hindrances, and without letting anybody know about it.

it depends on how much you plan to spend...if it is very minimal, then it shouldn't be a problem, but if you are spending thousands of dollar on your cc abroad, they might flag it as fraud and make the cc unusable until you verify the purchase.

[tkyoshi]

Why should he? I took my VISA to 3 different countries (Central America) and was able to purchase, eat and withdraw money without any hitches or hindrances, and without letting anybody know about it.

Well depending, it's just to prevent the suspicion that his card may have been stolen. Because they don't know you are going out of the country, based on your previous patterns your card *could* be placed on a fraud hold. Once it enters that state all your transactions will be declined (for your safety) until you call in and verify. Sometimes you might even have to fax things in like a copy of your SIN to unblock the account.

I had it happen to me once, but it was no big deal. Basically I make a lot of online purchases and such, and one day I went down to Blaine and Lynden, Wa to do some shopping. Later on that day my Visa was put on a fraud hold. It didn't really affect me because I wanted something changed on my account the next day and they said they couldn't because they put a block on it. They were just making sure someone didn't steal my card and went over the border to use it.

So if you are planning to use the Visa a lot you should call so they know. If you're doing the odd purcahse here and there you'll probably be ok without calling.

[j3fan]

Because they don't know you are going out of the country, based on your previous patterns your card *could* be placed on a fraud hold.

i had them put my card on a fraud hold several times already, and i didn't go anywhere :|

[tkyoshi]

i had them put my card on a fraud hold several times already, and i didn't go anywhere :|

Awww, do you make a lot of online purchases? Sometimes that will do it too. I've had a fraud hold once on my Mastercard because I used that card purely for online purchases.

They wanted to confirm that it was actually me actually using it on the internet.

[Kasakato]

Do be sure to let Visa know you will be traveling. Depending on your history just using it in a different country may spark a fraud alert. My CC has been frozen many times. Don't try to buy $10k+ in home electronics in one day :lol: