Answers to Comments on Assimilation Part 2

September 1, 2011

It seems my comment response was too long to fit into the comment box, so I have to do it as a new blog entry.  So if you aren't interested in the questions asked in the comments for the last blog post, you can skip this entry no problemo.  Here is what I was trying to post:

First off, thanks for the support.  And, yes, Anni, the movie clap would have been priceless.

As for your questions - always happy to answer and help if I can!

Canadian banking is tricky - as in expensive.  Everything in Canada is expensive.  All banks charge fees for checking accounts, but offer a wide variety of accounts that vary in fee cost based on how often you use the account and what monthly balance you carry.  There are banks that are affiliated with some American and international banks (HSBC is one), but those tend to charge the higher fees.  We bank with Scotia Bank (formally known as The Bank of Nova Scotia), which offered the best fees and options for features on accounts.  Lisa did just find out, though, that they offer an American Dollar account that lets you conduct all business in US currency - good for folks like us - better for Lisa as she is in the US on business every month.  We have kept our US bank account open (Wells Fargo, which does not have branches in Canada)so that we can use that when in the US (plus we keep it as a place to deposit my monthly disability checks).  The only issue is when you want to transfer funds from one account to the other - you get dinged on the exchange rate.  But having both accounts means no more money-changing at the bank, or if necessary, at the airport. All Canadian banks charge you if you use a non-brand ATM (or ABM as they are known here - Automated Banking Machine).

Canadian debit cards also work a little differently here as well.  They have a chip in them (the square on the left side of the card in the picture) that is read by pin-pads similar to those in the US when you use your debit card.  Except in Canada, there is a slot to slide your card into the machine at the bottom, you are asked which account you want it taken out of (chequing or savings), put in your pin, and then wait for it to tell you to take it out of the machine.  If you swipe it in the slot, like in the US, it automatically becomes a charge instead of a debit.  So you have to tell the chequer which way you will be using the pin pad.  And you can still get cash back, just like in the US.

In terms of finding a bank, I simply went through every website checking out each bank until I found one that suited our needs. You will want to Google search to see which banks are in your area as not all are nationwide.  And credit unions are big here, but are much more expensive and not as advantageous as they are in the States, fyi.  I will say I am happy with Scotia Bank and would recommend them.

As for buying US goods and having them shipped to Canada.  That has been fun.

First off, another good reason to keep or have an American (dollar) account is so that you can spend US dollars online.  Many of the big online shopping sites offer shipping to Canada or have a Canadian version of their site.  Make sure they can ship to Canada before placing an order and then getting to the last step and being disappointed.  If you are shipping something to Canada from the US, it's best if you can ship it yourself at the Post Office so that you can pay the import duty yourself, saving the person in Canada receiving it from having to pay the duty COD when the package arrives.  If you send it via an online US site that ships to Canada, you won't have the option to pay the duty and the Canadian receiver will again have to pay the duty upon delivery.  If you can order from the Canadian version of a site, like Amazon.ca (all Canadian web addresses end in .ca) and pay in US dollars, you will pay an exchange fee, but the receiver will not have to pay any duty on the item as it is being shipped domestically.  All of this is true in the reverse, being in Canada and shipping to the US.  Pay Pal is still available for use in Canada if you have an account with them.  With online sites, if in Canada, some sites will automatically take you to the Canadian version, like Huffington Post.  But some, like Amazon, will not - you will have to use the site-map to locate the link to the Canadian version (and vice versa if you want the American version and are sent to the Canadian version).  You can also retype the address with the alternate .ca suffix).  Making sure you are on the right site and whether they ship to Canada at all is the first thing to check for when shopping online.  If sending letters, though, ask the Post Office or Canada Post for country to country stamps.  We have a book of stamps that are specifically for sending letters/bill payments/cards/etc. to the US without having to go to the Canada Post office.

Hope that answers your questions.  Happy to clarify if necessary.  And as always, feel free to leave as many questions as you like - as much as this blog is for fun, catharsis, entertainment, I also hope to help fellow expats out!