Originally Posted by
defrosted
Very helpful information in this thread.
A side note on customs, as eluded to already. Entering Canada customs can be ok, but my experience US preclearance customs in Toronto can be a terribly long wait. I only speak from missed connections (even on the same carrier).
If there was a routing that avoids Toronto completely I would jump on that, even if the cost was slightly more.
Getting a Nexus card avoids this uncertainty. It’s $50 for 5 years and priceless for even occasional travelers to Canada. It is valid in both directions for Customs and acts as a TSA Precheck when departing Canada. So it saves 3 potentially long lines on every round trip from the US to Canada.