When you’re planning to take a flight, rent a car, or book a hotel room online there are hundreds of different websites to choose from.
While some travel websites are based in Canada, many are not and even if you’re travelling to a Canadian destination, you should never assume you’ll be charged in Canadian dollars.
“There was nothing that indicated the price was in U.S. dollars. Nothing at all,” said Elizabeth Haddock, of Mono, near Orangeville, Ont.
Haddock had planned a trip with her friends to Picton, Ont. and she needed a hotel room for two nights. She started her search on Trivago, which took her to the website Super.com.
The Ontario woman said she booked a room and thought she was paying in Canadian funds.
“It wasn’t until I got my credit card bill that I discovered it was a U.S. figure, a U.S. dollar amount,” she said.
Instead of being charged C$430 it was US$430, which made the hotel bill jump to C$610.
“I’m a Canadian resident, with a Canadian IP address, and I’m going to a Canadian hotel why would I want to see a U.S. price?” said Haddock.
In a statement, Trivago said that “as an accommodation metasearch, (it) is not involved in the booking or payment process.”
“The booking site that completed the reservation is best placed to investigate the charge, the currency shown, and any transaction fees. For the booking mentioned, please contact Super.com support,” the company wrote.
When Haddock reached out to Super.com she was offered a $43 credit, which she declined.
“I want a refund. I want the difference refunded back to my credit card,” she said.
Suraj Gahunia, of Vaughan, Ont., needed a rental vehicle for a trip to Vancouver. He booked online with NextCar Rental, which stated on its website transactions were in Canadian dollars.
However, the company said if you pre-pay for a rental, you are charged in U.S. dollars, which Gahunia felt was misleading.
“Normally when I book online, I get the price I expect. It seemed like it was in Canadian because it had the Canadian taxes and everything, but later I looked at it my credit card and I was charged in USD,” he said.
Instead of paying C$420 Canadian, it was US$420, which made the charge C$611.
After we contacted NextCar Rental, the company said it made some changes to its website.
“We removed that line about all transactions being in Canadian dollars. This line was added by the local Vancouver NextCar affiliate to their location specific policies. All the prepaid reservations booked on the nextcarrental.com website are in US dollars and always have been,” NextCar Rental stated.
“We are a US company, we have worked with our affiliates in Vancouver since 2021, and I believe what the local branch was trying to convey was that once the customer arrives in Vancouver, all transactions at that point will be in Canadian dollars. For example, in addition to the prepaid, the deposit will be taken in Canadian dollars, additional time or ancillary items would be charged as CAD.”
The company agreed to refund Gahunia the difference due to the confusion he had while booking, which he said he appreciated.
‘Double check’
Travel expert Barry Choi said consumers need to check websites carefully before finalizing transactions.
“The best websites will make it very clear you’ll see in the top right a Canada flag, a U.S. flag or a European flag so you know what prices you’re paying,” he said.
“On the final page I want to see if is says CAN or USD and if it doesn’t say it clearly, I will go back a page and double check it personally.”
If you’re charged in the wrong currency you can complain to the booking website directly and you can also contact the business as well. You might be able to ask for a chargeback with your credit card but there’s no guarantee they’ll allow it.
With files from CTV News’ Farah Chandani
