Bank Information

Saving money to travel the world is a challenge.  And, once you are on your trip, you do not want to give your hard-saved money away to the banks in fees!  We explored the different fees from 3 of our Canadian Banks along with Visa and Mastercard.  Here is what we found:

President’s Choice (PC) Financial – Debit Card

  • ATM – $3.00 per withdrawal – 2.5% admin fee for amount withdrawn
  • If the word Plus is on the ATM – the machine should work
  • PC Master Card – exchange rate + 2.5% of purchase price
  • cash transaction – $5 fee to use +interest rate that starts immediately

*Tip-write down the numbers for lost or stolen cards and keep them in a separate location

TD Canada Trust

  • Sign up for a TD  Debit Visa Card – more acceptable internationally and can be verified by Visa
  • ATM – $1.50 – 5.00 per withdrawal  – depends on the location
  • TD all inclusive banking plan
  • $29.95 a month – will cover all international fees
  • If you maintain a balance of $5000 +, the $29.95 fee will be waived  – below $5000 will be charged

*Tip: call the bank every3 months – keep the bank informed as to where we are  located

CIBC 

  • exchange rate + 2.5% on amount purchased
  • cash withdrawal – $5 transaaction – 2.5% on amount withdrawn interest charges