Canada Mega Thread - Information and Advice

ozgirl - 09 January 2014 10:17 AM

Don’t ask him about that!!

I believe Commonwealth Bank screwed him about that.

Rider would have it sussed out pretty good i reckon!

But people have used http://www.xe.com before.

I personally (a long time ago!) used http://www.trazfers.com

To be honest I would probably take about $1,000 over in cash with you and use your credit card as well (then pay it off with your savings).

Haha ok then, I’ll have a look at the link you posted.

Credit Card! I do not want to get one of those, I just want to open a basic savings account and put all my money in it straight away. I may just have to take more cash with me and get an account asap. Or get my girlfriend to transfer it some how.

I used ozforex. by far the best rate and no fees with a min transfer of $2000

the banks etc say no fees but they just give you a crap exchange rate.

you should set up a forex account before you go as they have to verify your identity etc. its easy though. and then when you get here you can open an account and then get forex to do the exchange.

well worth your while.

RhysL - 15 January 2014 03:02 AM

I used ozforex. by far the best rate and no fees with a min transfer of $2000

the banks etc say no fees but they just give you a crap exchange rate.

you should set up a forex account before you go as they have to verify your identity etc. its easy though. and then when you get here you can open an account and then get forex to do the exchange.

well worth your while.

Thanks for the info I’ll have a look at that

I bumped into Wilmshurst(spelling? Aaron) today in the park. It’s always cool to randomly meet a boardworlder.
Good riding with you today bro! Hope to see you round

leasha101 - 15 January 2014 10:52 AM

RhysL - 15 January 2014 03:02 AM

I used ozforex. by far the best rate and no fees with a min transfer of $2000

the banks etc say no fees but they just give you a crap exchange rate.

you should set up a forex account before you go as they have to verify your identity etc. its easy though. and then when you get here you can open an account and then get forex to do the exchange.

well worth your while.

Thanks for the info I’ll have a look at that

I used Ozforex too, it’s really good. There is a $15 fee each time but the exchange rate they give you more than makes up for that.

If you take cash, don’t swap it in the airport, they are generally 6-8c worse than on Granville St in Vancouver.

If you ring around and find an Aussie Visa Card that doesn’t have Fees and Charges attached to it, these are usually the best exchange rate available!!!!!

I’d never use a Travelex Exchange at the airports!!!!! Ripoff!!!!!

Just use Visa (Even MasterCard Rates can be good) at any international ATM!!!!!

Thanks for the advice guys I’ll defiantly keep it in mind when the time comes

Andy Aitken - 15 January 2014 11:34 AM

I bumped into Wilmshurst(spelling? Aaron) today in the park. It’s always cool to randomly meet a boardworlder.
Good riding with you today bro! Hope to see you round

Heck yeah man was great to meet up!

So today was spent all in the park with Andy and some friends. I’m really starting to push myself with jumping . No spin tricks yet but I’m sure with a bit more practice they’ll come First tracks tomorrow then some more of the same again. Whoop Whoop!!!

The temps here are set to rise significantly to +8 on Friday which will be interesting with already low snow levels but we will see what happens!

Mizu Kuma - 15 January 2014 12:40 PM

If you ring around and find an Aussie Visa Card that doesn’t have Fees and Charges attached to it, these are usually the best exchange rate available!!!!!

I’d never use a Travelex Exchange at the airports!!!!! Ripoff!!!!!

Just use Visa (Even MasterCard Rates can be good) at any international ATM!!!!!

Citibank

leasha101 - 15 January 2014 12:52 PM

Thanks for the advice guys I’ll defiantly keep it in mind when the time comes

Yep no need to be afraid of Credit Cards.

You just don’t spend more than you can afford to pay back.

The other option is a visa debit card. The qantas cash card is not too shabby. and you get double ff points for any OS spend. just keep loading it up with your own cash.

BUT the travel boffins at http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au forum say the best one for rates and fees is the

http://www.28degreescard.com.au/

Just setup internet banking accounts, and transfer your money to pay the balance before any interest charges accrue!!!!!

Exactly Mizu!!!

ozgirl - 15 January 2014 03:14 PM

leasha101 - 15 January 2014 12:52 PM

Thanks for the advice guys I’ll defiantly keep it in mind when the time comes

Yep no need to be afraid of Credit Cards.

You just don’t spend more than you can afford to pay back.

The other option is a visa debit card. The qantas cash card is not too shabby. and you get double ff points for any OS spend. just keep loading it up with your own cash.

BUT the travel boffins at http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au forum say the best one for rates and fees is the

http://www.28degreescard.com.au/

 

The only problem with credit cards is you only get the exchange rate of the bank (or card company) at that time. Typically bank exchange rates are not the best - they are usually 3-4 cents below the actual exchange rate (which can be viewed on sites like http://www.xe.com)

Its more much economically viable to transfer a lump sum at one time than multiple sums or transactions - particularly with an exchange rate like ours which is trending down and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

just my few cents worth. I had a good chat about this with a few banking buddies before I made the move over here.

Sign up to OZFOREX while your at home, then once you get here transfer a large lump sum over and put it in your Canadian account. Try not to go too crazy with your money in the first few weeks and then once you got some incoming cash you’ll be fine.

.