Priceline/Hotwire and currency conversion, For the credit cards Options

[Jason's Storm]

I know the gist of both, but I was wondering. Do you book in USD and do they charge your credit card a currency conversion charge (as if you used your credit card over there)?

~JS

[thereuare]

All purchases are in US currency so there is no credit card conversion fee.

You seem to have done quite a few searches and asked a few questions lately (which are all welcomed)... but have you made any purchases as your only win reported to the board was at the end of last year. If so, please share your wins with the rest of the board as that information will help future users visiting these areas.

Thanks.

[Jason's Storm]

Nope, no wins. Reason, is that I get a very good discount from my work (Wal-Mart) and priceline/HOTWIRE, scares my wife.

~JS

[djs]

Is this a frequent question? If so, would it make sense to make it "sticky"? Perhaps it is in another area of the board but I had the same question about booking in Canada and came to the Canadian board to look for it. It might also be helpful to provide a link that converts USD to CAD so people can make a more educated bid (the site I just used is Yahoo Currency Converter).

I haven't booked yet, but will use the PRICELINE or HOTWIRE link when I do (I'm still deciding if I want to make the drive up to Montreal on Wednesday to watch my Bruins play).

Please feel free to move/delete/edit this post if it doesn't belong here.

[thereuare]

This is not a common question so i don't think we'll sticky it... but i think the leading site for currency conversion is XE.com... fast and easy interface.

[LouiseW]

XE.COM gives conversion rates but the credit card companies do charge a conversion fee so beware if you have a non-U.S. credit card. You will be charged a premium on your U.S. dollars. If you are doing a lot of booking or buy from a lot of U.S. sites, it might be worthwhile to see about getting a U.S. dollar credit card. I understand BMO has one although I haven't checked it out yet.

[georgevancouver]

XE.COM gives conversion rates but the credit card companies do charge a conversion fee so beware if you have a non-U.S. credit card. You will be charged a premium on your U.S. dollars. If you are doing a lot of booking or buy from a lot of U.S. sites, it might be worthwhile to see about getting a U.S. dollar credit card. I understand BMO has one although I haven't checked it out yet.

Had a problem with Hotwire in that they informed me two weeks before my trip (July 11) that my hotel suite is no longer available (this was booked/paid for in April 09). They gave me the choice of accepting a full refund +$50 Hotdollars or half of the value in Hotdollars if I kept the now lesser room. I chose the refund but discovered I lost $82.00 CDN on the currency exchange due to the recent rise in our dollar against the greenback. Hotwire's policy is to refund only in US$. I complained that I should get a FULL refund since I honoured my end of the deal and they cancelled on me. A complaint phone call got a rude and canned response. My email to Hotwire was not answered.
Happily the problem was solved by a quick call to my Visa card bank (CIBC). The bank has a policy of giving refunds in exactly the same amount paid when doing foreign exchange transactions. They said they fixed it for me and did a charge back on Hotwire.
Moral: Call your Visa Card company!

[Greyingboomer]

As a Canadian I have done as LoiseW has suggested and have a Mastercard which is in $US. I also maintain a US dollar account at my bank, and deposit to it when the exchange rate is in my favour. So, I then pay for my Mastercharge balance from this account.