Cross-Currency Purchasing of Tickets
Jan 12, 2015, 10:09 pm
#1
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Cross-Currency Purchasing of Tickets
I ran into a case of this buying some software many years ago, and I've run into some of this between Canada and the US...but I have no idea if/when it might apply to travel.
Does anyone know if there are cases when booking an airline ticket in a different currency might materially affect the price of the ticket? With the CAD and EUR on a bit of a wild ride lately (not to mention the dollar appreciating substantially against almost all currencies) I'm wondering if there might not be cases where it would make more sense to either (A) denominate a purchase in another currency (say, GBP when booking to/from the UK) or (B) "jump the border" and fly to/from somewhere like Montreal or Vancouver (both being a very cheap train ticket from New York and Seattle, respectively).
I know that in some cases, the rates are set in one currency and then adjusted...but I've also seen enough other cases of prices being set in two currencies (say, $750 and 500) and resets being rather erratic, so does anyone know if there are advantages on this front...particularly to/from the UK, Australia, or Japan (all being on my to-visit list)? I could throw Europe proper into the list as well (not touching Russia or China right now, though the Chinese currency management situation seems to invite absurd arbitrage games).
Does anyone know if there are cases when booking an airline ticket in a different currency might materially affect the price of the ticket? With the CAD and EUR on a bit of a wild ride lately (not to mention the dollar appreciating substantially against almost all currencies) I'm wondering if there might not be cases where it would make more sense to either (A) denominate a purchase in another currency (say, GBP when booking to/from the UK) or (B) "jump the border" and fly to/from somewhere like Montreal or Vancouver (both being a very cheap train ticket from New York and Seattle, respectively).
I know that in some cases, the rates are set in one currency and then adjusted...but I've also seen enough other cases of prices being set in two currencies (say, $750 and 500) and resets being rather erratic, so does anyone know if there are advantages on this front...particularly to/from the UK, Australia, or Japan (all being on my to-visit list)? I could throw Europe proper into the list as well (not touching Russia or China right now, though the Chinese currency management situation seems to invite absurd arbitrage games).
Jan 13, 2015, 2:33 am
#2
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It happens all the time and the savings can vary from a few $$, usually when recent exchange rate movements have affected matters, to significant, usually when different fare buckets are available in different countries. That's why I always check both the UK and US price when flying between the two. About five years ago, the US was generally cheaper than the UK. More recently the UK has generally been cheaper than the US but this year it seems to be reversing itself again. Bear in mind that some of the fare rules may vary, depending upon where you buy the ticket - eg cancellation or change fees, 24 hour refund policies etc.
More dramatic differences can also be seen. For example domestic flights in Argentina are massively cheaper for Argentine residents. This is not of great help unless you know a resident to buy one for you and you know which airports check for residency - but can be useful if you do the legwork.
More dramatic differences can also be seen. For example domestic flights in Argentina are massively cheaper for Argentine residents. This is not of great help unless you know a resident to buy one for you and you know which airports check for residency - but can be useful if you do the legwork.
Jan 13, 2015, 2:19 pm
#3
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More dramatic differences can also be seen. For example domestic flights in Argentina are massively cheaper for Argentine residents. This is not of great help unless you know a resident to buy one for you and you know which airports check for residency - but can be useful if you do the legwork.
Jan 14, 2015, 9:41 am
#5
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I would imagine that would it not be worth your time to do a transborder crossing from the U.S. to Canada just to ticket in CAD. The only thing I can come up with is if Air Canada genuinely offers a much lower fare *and* a nonstop that you can't get from SEA, BUF, or BTV. (One such example we came up with on a recent thread was a northern Vermont resident traveling to Honolulu. The optimal way there is likely YUL-HNL nonstop on AC.)
I know Canadian border-area residents sometimes cross this direction to get cheaper fares on U.S. domestic flights, but that's more a function of U.S. airline competition being stronger than that in Canada (I know that's hard to believe) and lower total taxes.
The real cross-currency plays seem to be in the developing world where they set different fares for locals vs. foreigners. I always check on US/UK and US/EU, but I never find hundreds of dollars in savings sitting there waiting for me. In the end, I just book on the website of the airline whose metal I'm flying and pay in the local currency of that airline.
I know Canadian border-area residents sometimes cross this direction to get cheaper fares on U.S. domestic flights, but that's more a function of U.S. airline competition being stronger than that in Canada (I know that's hard to believe) and lower total taxes.
The real cross-currency plays seem to be in the developing world where they set different fares for locals vs. foreigners. I always check on US/UK and US/EU, but I never find hundreds of dollars in savings sitting there waiting for me. In the end, I just book on the website of the airline whose metal I'm flying and pay in the local currency of that airline.
Jan 14, 2015, 3:39 pm
#6
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Jan 17, 2015, 10:42 pm
#7
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It use to be really easy to go to Venezuela and buy a first class ticket from Caracas to Madrid for 200 dollars ... Now a days there are no tickets, not even for residents.
Jan 17, 2015, 10:49 pm
#8
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There were 3 awesome things for people living close to Venezuela (like miami) to do...
1. Fly to caracas and from there to anywhere with any airlines for 90% off the price. So only paying 10%
2. Getting elite status on Airlines or Hotels, A night at the Intercontinental in a Suite in Caracas is only $45...
3. Getting a citi advantadge Venezuelan credit card is the holy grain. They give you 1 mile per 6.3 bolivars spent.... and at the black market the dollar price right now is almost 200 bolivars. So its like getting 31 miles per dollar spent...
The reason why is explained in the link above that the other person provided... And I know this by personal experience. All my relatives (Except me) have the AA venezuelan citi CC and they have millions of miles
1. Fly to caracas and from there to anywhere with any airlines for 90% off the price. So only paying 10%
2. Getting elite status on Airlines or Hotels, A night at the Intercontinental in a Suite in Caracas is only $45...
3. Getting a citi advantadge Venezuelan credit card is the holy grain. They give you 1 mile per 6.3 bolivars spent.... and at the black market the dollar price right now is almost 200 bolivars. So its like getting 31 miles per dollar spent...
The reason why is explained in the link above that the other person provided... And I know this by personal experience. All my relatives (Except me) have the AA venezuelan citi CC and they have millions of miles