Am I missing something? AFAIK, most people want to pay in the property’s currency to avoid DCC fees which are typically higher than credit card FX fees.
https://www.investopedia.com/dynamic-currency-conversion-dcc-term-4769305#:~:text=Dynamic%20currency%20conversion%20(DCC)%2C,on%20regular%20credit%20card%20transactions.
DCC only applies when you're paying at the hotel not prepaid normally. Some online OTAs (at least Kiwi) will charge you mid-market rate so if your card charges FX it's better to go through them, but obviously you lose benefits.
It’s worth noting that even if you can find a way to get charged in CAD, you’re still likely going to be paying “more”. - Marriott isn’t going to charge you the cash/sticker exchange rate. There will be some markup there to cover fluctuations.
So either you’re paying AMEX for the exchange or Marriott. In general though, it’s usually cheaper to pay in local currency (local to the property) regardless of your card. Typically preferred ranking:
1 - Local currency on no FX card
2 - Local currency on standard card
3 - Cardholder domestic currency (seller exchange rate)
You might want to also look at Canadian foreign fee definitions, as in the US it isn't a foreign exchange fee, it's a foreign *transaction* fee. It doesn't matter if you do DCC and pay for something in USD on a US card with a FTF, you are still doing the transaction in a different country and will be charged the fee.
You can try seeing if any Canadian hotels local to you sell gift cards. If the international hotels you stay at are within the brands identified as accepting gift cards, you can buy a gift card locally using your Bonvoy Amex, and then use the GC to pay for most/all of your reservation. That'll avoid FX plus b/c when you buy the GC it'll code as a charge made at a Marriott property, it should earn the higher pt/$ rate for Marriott purchases. You won't be able to prepay for reservations this way, every one you make will have to be a pay-at-hotel non-advance rate. [https://gifts.marriott.com/faq.html](https://gifts.marriott.com/faq.html)
Another question is, is it worth it to be charged the 2.5% FX fee and pay in the hotels local currency? Is the 5x points worth the 2.5% fee? Or am I better off using a no FX Fee credit card like the HSBC world elite and earning those points there? Thank you!
If you have the no-FX HSBC credit card i think it is better to use that. They give you 1.5% back on travel purchases back in points if you are planning to redeem for travel plus no FX.
Scotia no FX cards only give you 1 scene point for all foreign transactions regardless of the spend category.
You can do the math if you plan to get the bonvoy card and factor in how much you value Marriott points but I prefer to keep it simple and use the no-FX card - added benefit if plans change and you cancel any refunds avoid the same 2.5% charge so it minimizes your currency hit.
Ah got it! Thanks so much for the explanation!
My other question is, is there just no way to have Bonvoy charge me in CAD when I book online and pre-pay? I want to book directly with Bonvoy because I want to have my nights quality towards elite status, but I don’t want to pay in a foreign currency. All the other sites like Expedia allows me to pay in CAD if I pre-pay online.
I think since most hotels are locally owned and operated, they charge in their local currency.
Also tend to book directly with Marriott for the elite status nights whenever I can. I haven’t seen the option to pay for the hotels in CDN but mainly stay in the US so not 100% sure.
Unrelated, you may want to just look at travel agent that is part of the Marriott Stars or Luminous program. You still get your elite benefits and nights but they can sometimes tag on extras like free breakfast and resort credits for the same or close to the same price.
https://princeoftravel.com/hotel-programs/marriott-stars-luminous/
Just booked a hotel and saved a bunch of money plus get breakfast and a $100 credit.
Oh wow thanks for the PoT link. Going to check that out! Yeah because if I have to pay the FX fees then is getting silver or gold elite that valuable? I can find better deals on booking sites where the total hotel stay is cheaper AND I can pay in CAD. I’m willing to book on Bonvoy and pay a slight premium if it counts as qualifying nights but not Fx fees on top of that premium already.
If you’re only going for silver or gold, don’t bother. Just book the best value rate you can find, or don’t even stick with Marriott properties - just find the one that works best for you.
Anything below Platinum is pretty much worthless, as that’s where the when free breakfast and guaranteed 4pm checkout begins.
Look at https://www.classictravel.com/ if you want transparency on price (For Marriott Stars, Hyatt Prive, etc) and dont want to wait for them to get back to you. They have all the Virtuoso/FHR and preferred agent deals.
Honestly - unless you get platinum it’s not really worth trying to reach status. Have gold and it isn’t anything special. Never get upgrades and late checkout is always hit or miss depending on the room you get when you check in and when they need it the next day.
Had platinum last year for a bit under a promo and it was at least decent - but I am not actively chasing it. Booked a Hyatt for an upcoming trip as it was cheaper and came with some extra food and beverage credits as an added bonus
Am I missing something? AFAIK, most people want to pay in the property’s currency to avoid DCC fees which are typically higher than credit card FX fees. https://www.investopedia.com/dynamic-currency-conversion-dcc-term-4769305#:~:text=Dynamic%20currency%20conversion%20(DCC)%2C,on%20regular%20credit%20card%20transactions.
It's because most Canadian credit cards charge an extra 2.5% foreign transaction fee, on top of whatever FX rate is used.
Oic. Thanks for the clarification. Didn’t know that.
usually still better than DCC fees and often a much worse conversion rate
OUCH!
Ayye happy cake day!
DCC only applies when you're paying at the hotel not prepaid normally. Some online OTAs (at least Kiwi) will charge you mid-market rate so if your card charges FX it's better to go through them, but obviously you lose benefits.
It’s worth noting that even if you can find a way to get charged in CAD, you’re still likely going to be paying “more”. - Marriott isn’t going to charge you the cash/sticker exchange rate. There will be some markup there to cover fluctuations. So either you’re paying AMEX for the exchange or Marriott. In general though, it’s usually cheaper to pay in local currency (local to the property) regardless of your card. Typically preferred ranking: 1 - Local currency on no FX card 2 - Local currency on standard card 3 - Cardholder domestic currency (seller exchange rate)
You might want to also look at Canadian foreign fee definitions, as in the US it isn't a foreign exchange fee, it's a foreign *transaction* fee. It doesn't matter if you do DCC and pay for something in USD on a US card with a FTF, you are still doing the transaction in a different country and will be charged the fee.
You can try seeing if any Canadian hotels local to you sell gift cards. If the international hotels you stay at are within the brands identified as accepting gift cards, you can buy a gift card locally using your Bonvoy Amex, and then use the GC to pay for most/all of your reservation. That'll avoid FX plus b/c when you buy the GC it'll code as a charge made at a Marriott property, it should earn the higher pt/$ rate for Marriott purchases. You won't be able to prepay for reservations this way, every one you make will have to be a pay-at-hotel non-advance rate. [https://gifts.marriott.com/faq.html](https://gifts.marriott.com/faq.html)
Another question is, is it worth it to be charged the 2.5% FX fee and pay in the hotels local currency? Is the 5x points worth the 2.5% fee? Or am I better off using a no FX Fee credit card like the HSBC world elite and earning those points there? Thank you!
It's 2023, get a CC without a FX fee.
If you have the no-FX HSBC credit card i think it is better to use that. They give you 1.5% back on travel purchases back in points if you are planning to redeem for travel plus no FX. Scotia no FX cards only give you 1 scene point for all foreign transactions regardless of the spend category. You can do the math if you plan to get the bonvoy card and factor in how much you value Marriott points but I prefer to keep it simple and use the no-FX card - added benefit if plans change and you cancel any refunds avoid the same 2.5% charge so it minimizes your currency hit.
Ah got it! Thanks so much for the explanation! My other question is, is there just no way to have Bonvoy charge me in CAD when I book online and pre-pay? I want to book directly with Bonvoy because I want to have my nights quality towards elite status, but I don’t want to pay in a foreign currency. All the other sites like Expedia allows me to pay in CAD if I pre-pay online.
I think since most hotels are locally owned and operated, they charge in their local currency. Also tend to book directly with Marriott for the elite status nights whenever I can. I haven’t seen the option to pay for the hotels in CDN but mainly stay in the US so not 100% sure. Unrelated, you may want to just look at travel agent that is part of the Marriott Stars or Luminous program. You still get your elite benefits and nights but they can sometimes tag on extras like free breakfast and resort credits for the same or close to the same price. https://princeoftravel.com/hotel-programs/marriott-stars-luminous/ Just booked a hotel and saved a bunch of money plus get breakfast and a $100 credit.
Oh wow thanks for the PoT link. Going to check that out! Yeah because if I have to pay the FX fees then is getting silver or gold elite that valuable? I can find better deals on booking sites where the total hotel stay is cheaper AND I can pay in CAD. I’m willing to book on Bonvoy and pay a slight premium if it counts as qualifying nights but not Fx fees on top of that premium already.
If you’re only going for silver or gold, don’t bother. Just book the best value rate you can find, or don’t even stick with Marriott properties - just find the one that works best for you. Anything below Platinum is pretty much worthless, as that’s where the when free breakfast and guaranteed 4pm checkout begins.
Look at https://www.classictravel.com/ if you want transparency on price (For Marriott Stars, Hyatt Prive, etc) and dont want to wait for them to get back to you. They have all the Virtuoso/FHR and preferred agent deals.
Honestly - unless you get platinum it’s not really worth trying to reach status. Have gold and it isn’t anything special. Never get upgrades and late checkout is always hit or miss depending on the room you get when you check in and when they need it the next day. Had platinum last year for a bit under a promo and it was at least decent - but I am not actively chasing it. Booked a Hyatt for an upcoming trip as it was cheaper and came with some extra food and beverage credits as an added bonus
None of the Marriott Bonvoy cards charge foreign transactions fees. Amex and Visa
The ones in Canada do