Exchange rates for example. 

If I'm transferring money from the US into my canadian bank account, the exchange rate works against me. 100% of the time.

For example, the $700 US I've just transferred is supposedly worth $670 Canadian Dollars. 

However, if I'm buying something using my Canadian account, then of course, Canadian money is worth less. Systematically. Like my latest purchase over at Waves this morning. Even if the the current exchange rate shows $1 Can = $1.01 US.

You just can't win...

Yes Rain, you can win.

Transfer your CAN $670 to US $700. Brilliant, Am Bapu.

Actually, my Canadian $670 would currently be worth $656 US. :s

This is exactly why I now barter using small livestock...

craigb


This is exactly why I now barter using small livestock...

barter being a euphemism? 

bapu

craigb


This is exactly why I now barter using small livestock...

barter being a euphemism? 

I'll trade you two chickens and a pig for that sheep over there.
 
No, not that one, the fluffy cute one on the right.

Mebbe I'm missing the point......why don't you just keep it as $ US then ?

My personal account is in Canada - though we do have one here in the US for both my wife and I.

All my personal stuff, credit card, paypal is linked to my Canadian account, so there's a bunch of things for which I still need to use my Canadian account. But all the money comes in the US account.

Rain


My personal account is in Canada - though we do have one here in the US for both my wife and I.

All my personal stuff, credit card, paypal is linked to my Canadian account, so there's a bunch of things for which I still need to use my Canadian account. But all the money comes in the US account.

Ok, didn't mean to pry into your set-up, but my Dad used to travel to the US (from UK) a lot and he had a UK based bank account, but it was in USD, so when exchange rates were good he would buy USD and then pay them into that account to use as and when needed. When he returned to UK any he didn't use he could pay straight back in as USD and keep them as USD so he didn't lose out with converting back to £. If you have set regular payments from your regular Canadian account, you could either set up a monthly payment from your US account to cover those and use your US account for everything else, or better still just change your paypal etc to the US account - surely not too difficult to do as people change banks all the time these days. Might be a bit of work, but if they are taking $30 off you for transferring $700, then it seems worth it to me. Maybe things are different in the US / Canada - don't know much about such things -  but $700 comes up as 693.80 Canadian here, so it seems that you are being taken for a ride there.

Rain, I've noticed the same thing and there doesn't seem to be a thing we can do for it. The Brits have it worse with online retailers. I know that $99 does not equal 99 pounds but I often see pricing like that.

Money moves across borders and many folks take their skim right off the top.