Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
We recently used our Canadian credit card to pay for a meal in a U.S. restaurant. The total was $22.15 before tip, so I left a $4 tip for a total of $26.15. I noticed a few days later that my credit card was charged $ 53.15 Canadian…I know our dollar is low, but not […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear Bird Talk, Having recently purchased condos in both Ontario and Florida, we are just about to join the ranks of the snowbirds. Is it necessary to set up a bank account in the U.S., or have you found it possible to get along with just a Canadian bank and a VISA card? Arthur Wenk, […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear Bird Talk, My husband and I are retiring this January and are planning to spend our winters in either Arizona or Texas. Is there a U.S. bank that is a better choice for Canadians? We are heading to Arizona for February and to Texas in March and would like to open a chequing account […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear Bird Talk, I have read with interest your previous exchanges on the difficulty of obtaining a U.S. $ bank credit card. Last summer, the solution seemed to be to get a U.S. tax ID number. That option won’t work anymore, as the IRS will not issue one unless you will be filing a U.S. […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear bird talk, we currently have a U.S.$ account with bank of Montreal and now are being told by our camp owner in Edinburg, tX that, effective January 1, 2012, all cheques issued on Canadian banks will be subject to a handling fee of $20. We previously spent our winters in arizona and have not […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear bird talk, I have been unable to complete an application to get a Wal-Mart credit card because the computer insists on a Social Security Number and, of course, I only have a Canadian social insurance number. two weeks of trying to find some way around the computer and talking to senior staff at the […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear Bird Talk, Like many snowbirds, I often get asked for my social security number (SSN) for financial purposes, such as applying for credit cards. In particular, AMEX will not provide a card unless I provide an SSN, and I particularly want an AMEX card because it is the only one Costco accepts. (I could […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear Bird Talk, I have run into banking fees regarding U.S.$ deposits from Canadian banks. Does anyone know of a bank in the Rio Grande Valley which does not have these fees? Richard in ON Response: Ed: This is an ongoing problem for many snowbirds. U.S. banks often charge deposit fees, they may hold up […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear Bird Talk, I would like to warn CSA members about using ATMs in the USA, based on my personal experience. In early March, I attempted to withdraw US$300.00 from my CIBC Canadian account at a Chase Bank ATM located in a Walgreens Drugs outlet in Mesa, Arizona. Although I received a receipt stating that […]
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Posted date : Nov 4, 2017
Dear Bird Talk, We travel to Arizona in the winter and also like to use credit cards at the gas pumps. It took some time for us to be told of a solution, but there is one that works. We use a credit card – an American $ Visa this year, to avoid paying exchange […]
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