# Home Trust Preferred Visa



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I couldn't find a general thread on this card. One recent change is that they no longer give 1% cashback points on foreign purchases. Not a big deal IMO.

I really like this card for travel and it continues to be my primary travel card. It really does have 0% foreign exchange fee (I've tested this). It also includes rental car insurance and roadside assistance such as reimbursement for calling for a tow truck, battery boost within US & Canada. I haven't yet tried this out.

One quirky thing about the Home Trust operation is that they have staff in Toronto from Monday to Friday, regular hours. They provide the best customer service during these times. See their contact page under Visa cards: https://www.hometrust.ca/contact/

They have an additional call center overseas for other times. In the past I had a lot of trouble with those agents, but I phoned today and they were actually able to help me out. It was a pleasant surprise.


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## l1quidfinance (Mar 17, 2017)

It's not a bad card at all. The daily transaction limit could be a pain for some people when travelling especially say on a road trip if you are making more frequent small purchases. 

The car insurance is great and it's not too much of a problem losing the 1% on foreign purchases.

I do also hold the Brim Financial Mastercard. I'm currently in the UK now so i'm using it more extensively and will report back my findings. The base version of this card does lack the rental insurance.

I did have some fraudulent charges on the Home Trust card and they were very promptly dealt with. 

If Brims rates do prove to be 0% then Home Trust will be kept for rentals / back up and Brim for day to purchases. 

I also have the Stack prepaid Mastercard for cash.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

I would disagree that the loss of their 1% cashback is 'not a big deal' james4beach. It was a plus and now it is gone.

Suppose for example you now compare it to a card that charges you 2.5% FX loading but also gives you 4% cashback on your foreign spending on the card, as the current Rogers World Elite card does. The Rogers card let's you end up 1.5% ahead, the HT card just let's you break even now. Till now, a difference of .5% between the two might not have been enough to justify someone changing cards but now it is a 1.5% difference and for some people that may add up to enough to justify a change.

The reality is that the HT card is no longer as good a choice as it was when there were no better choices out there. Now there is a better choice for those to whom foreign transactions are a decent sized factor in their spending pattern. 

You could try to argue the roadside assistance is a plus that Rogers doesn't offer but it is really just a 'maybe' plus and I would suggest it is a 'small maybe'. The 1.5% cashback is an every dollar spent plus, not a maybe. Both cards give rental insurance, no difference there.
https://www.moneywehave.com/rogers-world-elite-mastercard-review/

I'm not sure what your purpose in starting this thread was but if it was to suggest this is the BEST card for a Canadian traveller, there really is no evidence to support that suggestion. It was the best choice in the past but that time is past.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

l1quidfinance said:


> It's not a bad card at all. The daily transaction limit could be a pain for some people when travelling especially say on a road trip if you are making more frequent small purchases.


I know of no card that has a 'daily transaction limit' l1quidfinance. The only limit is your total 'credit limit'. If you had no charges on your card in a billing period you can make one transaction or multiple transactions of up to your credit limit, in one day if you needed to. If you make enough transactions in a billing period that add up to your credit limit, you can ask to have that credit limit raised. OR are you actually referring not to a 'transaction limit' but to a 'cash withdrawal limit' at ATMs when you use it instead of a debit card to get cash? That limit can be raised.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Longtimeago said:


> I know of no card that has a 'daily transaction limit' l1quidfinance. The only limit is your total 'credit limit'.


The HT card allows a maximum of 10 transactions per day. If you're traveling you'd want to use the HT card for larger purchases (where the % savings is big) and use another method for smaller amounts.

Forgot to add earlier that the card also has purchase protection/insurance, meaning that new purchases are insured against damage or theft for 90 days, except theft from a car.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

james4beach said:


> The HT card allows a maximum of 10 transactions per day. If you're traveling you'd want to use the HT card for larger purchases (where the % savings is big) and use another method for smaller amounts.
> 
> Forgot to add earlier that the card also has purchase protection/insurance, meaning that new purchases are insured against damage or theft for 90 days, except theft from a car.


Huh, that's a new one for me james4beach. I've never had a card with a specific number of transactions per day limit. I wonder what their thinking is there? The more transactions I make in a day will mean the more money I put on their card in a day and therefore the more money they make off the merchants in a day. It doesn't seem to make any sense to me to limit the number of transactions. Any idea what their justification for that is? That is a definite negative in my opinion.

The Rogers card also gives the same purchase protection and extended warranty james4beach. So no advantage to HT there.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

https://rogersbank.com/legaldocs/en/Rogers_Bank_World_Elite_Mastercard_Certificate_of_Insurance.pdf

Benefit Coverages:
Emergency Medical & Trip Cancellation/Interruption/Delay Protection Coverage ..................... 1
Rental Car Collision/Damage Insurance .................................................................................... 17
Purchase Protection & Extended Warranty ............................................................................... 23


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

*Could someone provide a link or post a copy of a section in the HT Visa agreement that would confirm the 10 transactions a day limit? I could not find it.*

We are in USA now. One thing we found, was that the trick of using numbers from postal code as replacement for zip code did not work when buying gas using the HT card. Friends reported same problem. We had to go inside, guess how much gas we needed and prepay. One time after HT card did not work at pump, I switched to our BMO US$ Mastercard and that worked using the zip code trick.

We are using our Scotia cashback Visa for Groceries because of the 4% cashback (less the 2.5% FX fee). For everything else, we are using the HT VISA card. We have US$ available, so could use our BMO US$ Mastercard.


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

Longtimeago said:


> https://rogersbank.com/legaldocs/en/Rogers_Bank_World_Elite_Mastercard_Certificate_of_Insurance.pdf


I'm pretty happy so far with mine...used about 6 weeks...came with 12k limit. Once they raise limit to 35k or so I'll get rid of my CIBC annual fee card.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Longtimeago said:


> https://rogersbank.com/legaldocs/en/Rogers_Bank_World_Elite_Mastercard_Certificate_of_Insurance.pdf
> 
> Benefit Coverages:
> Emergency Medical & Trip Cancellation/Interruption/Delay Protection Coverage ..................... 1
> ...



None of that would be of any use to us. Especially the travel medical.


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

Its pretty standard for all credit cards...rental car is good for me as I rent often. Also medical is good even though its only for a couple weeks. 
as I self insure .

I have used purchase protection on my Visa when wifey dropped her new $500 glasses into the briney deep only 2 days after receiving them. No questions asked...just a quick reimbursement.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

agent99 said:


> None of that would be of any use to us. Especially the travel medical.


That's why any attempt by anyone to suggest the 'best' card is a waste of time agent99. What makes a card 'best' for any given individual will differ by individual. In the OP, the major factor was the 0% foreign exchange fee which can be important to a traveller obviously. I gave the Rogers card as an example of a card that while it does charge the typical 2.5% exchange fee, also gives 4% cashback resulting in a gain of 1.5% over the HT card.

So in terms of foreign exchange fees ONLY, the Rogers card with 4% cashback is a better card than the HT card. But there may be other factors that are of more or less importance to any given individual still.

One question I would have for you is why are you using the HT card at all if your Scotia card is giving you 4% cashback? Is it only giving you 4% on groceries? Ah yes, I had a look and that is the case. 4% on groceries, 2% on gas, 1% on everything else. Looks to me like the Rogers card is a better bet. Is there some other factor with the Scotia card that is important to you and is not offered by the Rogers card?

You wrote that none of the benefits of the Rogers card would be of use to you, what benefits of the Scotia card ARE of benefit to you? For example, I notice the Scotia card has a $120 annual fee plus $50 per year if you want a second card. What benefit does the card give you that outweighs that cost?

Taking another look at the Scotia card I now see it gives you 4% on groceries when you are in Canada which the Rogers card does not. Now I am thinking you do not travel outside Canada and your choice of card reflects that. That's fine but it is off topic from what the OP was about. For a card to use domestically, you might want to compare it to a PC World Elite card which could get you 3% on groceries, 3% on gas, 1% everywhere else and has no annual fees. https://www.pcfinancial.ca/en/credit-cards/world-elite


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

agent99 said:


> *Could someone provide a link or post a copy of a section in the HT Visa agreement that would confirm the 10 transactions a day limit? I could not find it.*


James? Others? Hoping someone can confirm this with a link.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

We are still happy with the HT card. Yes, we did loose the 1 percent cash back on foreign transactions. 

Since having the card we cancelled the auto club membership. That is worth $100-125 per yr. that we would otherwise spend. We like no fee loading on FX transactions. Just today We took a cash advance of $500 from a foreign ATM. Our fee on that is 1.5 vs the bank upcharge on fx rates of 3-4 points. The car rental insurance is important to us. Last fall trip we had five rentals with a total of 35 or so car rental days.

We typically only do one to four transactions a day. Usually just two. So the ten limit is not an issue for us. Customer service....similar to TD but streets ahead of CIBC in our experience when it comes to call waiting times.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

It's still my main travel card and I always use it for car rentals. Having no FX fee is just amazing.

I haven't yet tried the road-side car service ... would be great to hear from someone who has used that, like a boost, tow, etc.



agent99 said:


> James? Others? Hoping someone can confirm this with a link.


I can't find any link to it


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

We used it the first month when we returned from PV to get our car going. Battery boost was insufficient so they towed the car to a battery shop. That was 2 of the 4 incidents allowed.

Response time was comparable to other services.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

ian said:


> We are still happy with the HT card. Yes, we did loose the 1 percent cash back on foreign transactions.
> 
> Since having the card we cancelled the auto club membership. That is worth $100-125 per yr. that we would otherwise spend. We like no fee loading on FX transactions. Just today We took a cash advance of $500 from a foreign ATM. Our fee on that is 1.5 vs the bank upcharge on fx rates of 3-4 points. The car rental insurance is important to us. Last fall trip we had five rentals with a total of 35 or so car rental days.
> 
> We typically only do one to four transactions a day. Usually just two. So the ten limit is not an issue for us. Customer service....similar to TD but streets ahead of CIBC in our experience when it comes to call waiting times.


I'm not sure what you are saying about the fee on your ATM withdrawal ian. If you are referrring to a FX cost the usual for Canadian banks is 2.5%, not '3-4 points'. Are you also ignoring the cost of interest which starts on day 1 if you use a credit card with an ATM? ATM withdrawals should be made using a debit card, not a credit card. Or are you pre-loading the credit card before making an ATM withdrawal, as many people do.

I think all of the cards mentioned above give car rental coverage. The ones giving cash back of 4% offset the no FX fees and in fact provide a plus of 1.5% on top of that, so you are losing on that aspect. The auto breakdown cover does seem to be a plus that the other cards do not provide. So you end up with minus, one neutral and one plus with your card in your individual case. How it works out overall would be dependent on how often you break down. With no break downs you will end up as a negative vs. some of the cashback cards.

Another aspect of all these cards is the question of annual fee. The Scotia card mentioned above has a fee of $120 per year plus another $50 per year for a second card. I think there are currently enough cards with no annual fee to choose from with various benefits, that no one should be using a card with an annual fee. I've yet to see one that has a benefit other cards do not that would overcome that annual fee cost.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

We do no pay interest on cash advances. We preload the account to a credit balance, hence no interest charges. Put $3000 on the card last week. Now down to 1K. The 1.5 percent is the HT s/c on cash advances over and above daily interest if applicable.

In the past CIBC certainly did charge us 3-4 points above the visa exchange rate on atm withdrawals.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

ian said:


> We do no pay interest on cash advances. We preload the account to a credit balance, hence no interest charges. Put $3000 on the card last week. Now down to 1K. The 1.5 percent is the HT s/c on cash advances over and above daily interest if applicable.


Apologies, you've talked about this method before but I also haven't understood it yet.

So you pay an excess amount to your HT card to load it up to a credit balance. Basically you're loading CAD cash into it and using the cash advance method to withdraw the cash at a foreign ATM without any interest charges -- is that right?

Is this better than using a regular Canadian debit card at the foreign ATM? Example: say you're withdrawing 200 EUR (or whatever) at a foreign ATM from the HT card. I would think you would be paying
- nil interest, ok
- 1.5% service fee on cash advances
- $10 or more foreign ATM fee
- X% foreign exchange spread, perhaps 3%


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

James...

Yes, We always maintain a credit balance hence no interest charges. Usually about $800. We keep note of credit card charges in order to maintain this credit.

Yesterday we took a cash advance of $425. That was the max at this atm. We usually withdraw $500-$600 when we travel to cover cash basis accommodation, etc.

-the cash advance came over at the same rate as two purchases that day, ie the visa exchange rate with no hidden add on fx service charge

-the HT service fee was 6.38.....1.5 percent

-the foreign bank ATM fee was slightly over $2. CAD (in Mexico the atm charges vary by bank. Not so in other countries. In Thailand for example all banks charge the same fixed feefor foreign atm withdrawals...$6.50 or so.

If we used used our CIBC card we would have paid an additional $12-15 in hidden fx fees plus a $5 atm fee. 

Granted not a lot however we simply got fed up of paying bank fees when there was a way to avoid some of them.

We are in Mexico. We took advantage of a last minute offer and bought five days at an AI from of all places a UK travel firm. In GBP. We just purchased three nights at a small boutique hotel from the Spanish company that owns it....billed in euros. Bought a night at the Fairfield Inn Cancun Airport from Marriott in USD. All were on line purchases. We keep track of these and send payments to HT in order to keep a float as it were.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

ian said:


> -the cash advance came over at the same rate as two purchases that day, ie the visa exchange rate with no hidden add on fx service charge


This is the surprise for me. I had no idea the cash advance would be exchanged at the same, no-FX visa exchange rate!

So this means the HT charges zero FX spread, not only for purchases but also for cash advances? Amazing


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Yes. That is why we do it. We did the same for a number of years on the Marriott/amazon card before the cards were discontinued.

It is incredible when you think of how much money the banks earn each day just from fx service charges on their visa, mc, and atm transactions with no human intervention required. It is a licence to print money!

Those computer systems pay for themselves in months, not years.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

james4beach said:


> This is the surprise for me. I had no idea the cash advance would be exchanged at the same, no-FX visa exchange rate!
> 
> So this means the HT charges zero FX spread, not only for purchases but also for cash advances? Amazing


Many people use this method of pre-loading a credit card to avoid the interest from day one that using a credit card at an ATM usually results in james4beach. Usually because they have a no FX credit card and their Debit Card does charge for FX exchange. All the cards I know of with no FX loading apply that same no FX loading to cash advances, there is nothing 'amazing' in that at all or unique to the HT card. 

So you could look at any no FX charge card available to you and expect to find the same thing. That then allows you to choose which card you want to use based on OTHER factors, like rental car insurance, etc. as is most beneficial to you personally.

Ian appears to withdraw considerable amounts of cash when travelling. Not everyone does that. I personally don't tend to withdraw more than say $100 cash per week of travel. I pay for pretty much everything using a credit card. Cash is just used for 'pocket money' small purchases like a coke for example.

So in my case, using a card that pays 4% on all foreign transactions such as the Rogers card would reward me more than using an HT card would which has just lost it's 1% reward. The Rogers credit card (it's not one I have by the way) would reward me 1.5% more than the HT card given how I handle my money when travelling, even after having to pay the 2.5% FX loading the Rogers card does charge.

Here is a fairly accurate article on the alternatives available depending on how you handle your money when travelling. https://www.rewardscanada.ca/NoFXFees/ You'll see it refer to, _"You can choose a true no foreign transaction fee credit card where you won't be charged fees on any non Canadian currency purchases or you can be selective and use a card that offers rewards that provide a higher return than the foreign transaction fee."_

I'm not suggesting one over the other, just pointing out that getting hung up on no FX charge cards can be a case of overlooking an alternative that may suit an individual better. Many people DO get hung up on this no FX charge issue.

For example, I happen to have a no FX charge Debit Card (from a UK bank) that I use for ATM withdrawals when travelling and a Canadian Credit Card that gives me rewards that are greater than the 2.5% in FX loading that it does charge me. 

So compare that to ian's method and see what happens. On an ATM withdrawal I pay nothing in FX and no ATM transaction fee (the $2 or $5 ian pays each time). The UK bank that my Debit Card is from does not charge any ATM transaction fee and refunds any ATM transaction fee a foreign bank charges. Nor does it charge me the 1.5% cash advance fee ian says he pays for using his HT credit card in the ATM even after having pre-loaded his card. Bottom line, ian pays something, I pay nothing at all for ATM transactions. But that card while available to me as an individual is not available to everyone unless they can open an account with that UK bank. Each individual is different and that's the point.

The only way to determine what will work best for YOU to is to look at every available option you have in detail.


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## Retiredguy (Jul 24, 2013)

agent99 said:


> James? Others? Hoping someone can confirm this with a link.


It is referenced in this review.

https://www.greedyrates.ca/blog/home-trust-preferred-visa-review/

Scroll down and it is listed under "Drawbacks"

Reading the blog, which follows the review, is certainly not enticing me to apply for the card.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

Retiredguy said:


> It is referenced in this review.
> 
> https://www.greedyrates.ca/blog/home-trust-preferred-visa-review/
> 
> ...


I hadn't given any real thought to the Roadside Assistance perk. I just took it as being a good perk when others mentioned it saved them having to pay CAA for the equivalent. But on the link you gave, it shows it only covers a 5km tow! That is useless for anyone who drives outside of a town/city. Yet another point that should be on the 'drawbacks' list in my opinion. Who NEVER drives more than 5km away from a service garage? My roadside assistance from CAA covers 200km tows and I even consider that as not covering all situations although it will cover most. Coverage of just 5km is as near to useless as you could get.

I can understand the 10 transactions per day limit. It is designed to limit the card issuers risk of a lost/stolen/cloned card being used for fraudulent transactions. It's for THEIR benefit, not for the user's benefit. That other cards do not have this limitation is really not a big deal since most people do not use their card more than 10 times in ONE day.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Retiredguy said:


> It is referenced in this review.
> 
> https://www.greedyrates.ca/blog/home-trust-preferred-visa-review/
> 
> ...


We have had the card for a while now.
We were disappointed when they removed cashback on foreign purchases. But really that only came to about $100. We still save the FX fees which are about $250. Considering it is a no-fee card, we are happy with that.
Only other minor issue was that at gas stations that required a ZIP, the usual trick of using the three numbers in postal code plus two zeros didn't always work. Had to go inside to pay, but then we were using washrooms anyway 
We had one payment declined. But just as well - the condo rental agency accidentally charged us twice and this put us over our maximum (which we are purposely leaving at the low initial amount)

I wouldn't choose this as an only card. We have a Scotia momentum that we use for groceries (and at Walmart, because everything there is classified as groceries!).4% cashback less FX fee. We also have a US$ Mastercard that is also essentially FX fee free because US$ cash comes from US dividends.
My wife has CAA, so we have kept that, but we cancelled my membership. That saved us something - I forget how much - Maybe $50? When I am driving alone, I would rely on the HT card. Another plus. Probably saving us in total $400+ a year.

Maybe there will be something better next year, but for now these cards work for us.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

The basic Alberta Motor Assoc. membership only includes a 5km tow limit.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

ian said:


> The basic Alberta Motor Assoc. membership only includes a 5km tow limit.


CAA in South Central Ontario provide 10km towing. The 5km for HT is minimal, but if your destination is on THEIR return route there may not be an extra charge. Otherwise, you just have to pay a little extra. The Roadside assistance offer more than towing - how often would we need towing anyway? In an accident, insurance would cover that.

*Home Trust Roadside Assistance *(not sure if all of this is free?)

- emergency towing services – will take you to any garage within a 5km radius,
- have 5L delivered to you free of charge, if you run out of gas,
- tire service,
- winching,
- battery boost
- lost key lockout assistance.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

agent99 said:


> CAA in South Central Ontario provide 10km towing. The 5km for HT is minimal, but if your destination is on THEIR return route there may not be an extra charge. Otherwise, you just have to pay a little extra. The Roadside assistance offer more than towing - how often would we need towing anyway? In an accident, insurance would cover that.
> 
> *Home Trust Roadside Assistance *(not sure if all of this is free?)
> 
> ...


The only service I have ever used for Roadside Assistance is towing agent99. I've needed a tow a couple of times, the last time was when my vehicle radiator sprung a seam. We were on a simple day trip drive but still nearly 100km from home and there certainly wasn't any garage anywhere near 5km from where I pulled off to the side of the road when I saw the temperature gauge going through the roof.

The time before that, I was in a desert area of the US Southwest and got bogged down in a ' desert wash' (know what that is). Some nice pictures of some here https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...nAhXYHc0KHSMhBloQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1366&bih=657
A lot more than a 5km distance from a garage.

Before that was a tire puncture and a wheel that the nuts had been put on with a torgue wrench at such a high setting I could not get the nuts off even when jumping on the wheel wrench. So I had to call a tow truck to come out and tow us back to a garage in Page, Arizona. Only about 80 miles away yet again. In some places you know there are a lot of miles between one place and another. Never seen a sign, 'NEXT gas 100 miles'?

A 5km tow radius is about as useful as the proverbial Ts on a B. The other services are fine I suppose but if you need a tow, there is no point in saying, 'oh well, the coverage is good if I needed some gas delivered because I was too stupid to notice what the gas gauge was telling me.'

CAA in South Central Ontario that you mention, is where I get my Roadside Assistance insurance from. The offer 10km, 200km and 320km. If the Home Trust offered the same choice for a small add-on payment, then I would agree it was worth having but having no choice but 5km is just not worth having at all as far as I am concerned.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

I have only once in over 60 years of driving ever needed a car to be towed. Even then it was not 100% necessary. 

What happened, was that the serpentine belt on our Mercedes broke. This while on an elevated expressway with no place to pull off. When this happens, you lose power steering, alternator, cooling water pump, A/C and anything else driven by the belt. In our case despite being very difficult to steer, the engine temperature increased rapidly. Engine would have soon seized, yet I had nowhere to stop. What I did, was open all windows and turn the heater on full. This provided enough cooling to stop the rise in engine temperature. 

We were about 5km from our US condo and after exiting freeway, made it back there. If I had had a spare belt, and more tools, I could have easily installed it. But instead, I called AAA (CAA affiliate) and they took car on flatbed to the nearest Mercedes dealer some distance away.

Distance was much further than the CAA/AAA allowance. I had to pay the driver for the difference. I think it was something like US$60. However, my automobile insurance policy had a rider in it that covered towing and other roadside assistance. They refunded me the difference in full.

So, if you are concerned about the 5km towing on the HT card, check your insurance policy. You may have towing coverage that you don't know about! Similarly, with newer cars - Your new car warranty should include free roadside assistance for at least the duration of the new car warranty. 

Alternatively, consider the possible cost of paying for extra towing mileage. Not possible with HT, but with CAA, you can get extra towing coverage at significant cost and pay for this every year. Or self insure and just pay the extra towing cost if ever you do need longer distance towing. We chose the latter option for wife's CAA. At 10km, just slightly better than HT.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

We have had one 6 or 7 km tow in thirty plus years and only two boosts that I can remember. Glad we did not have auto club for all that time!


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

ian said:


> We have had one 6 or 7 km tow in thirty plus years and only two boosts that I can remember. Glad we did not have auto club for all that time!


Then if you consider the need to be very low, why not self-insure and remove that consideration from your choice of what cards to use? If I can get 4% cashback(results in $800 per year cashback) and no Roadside Assistance with one card or I can get Roadside Assistance but no cashback at all with an HT card, which card would you suggest I go with?

A 'perk' is only a perk if you benefit from it. There is no benefit from just having it.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Longtimeago said:


> Then if you consider the need to be very low, why not self-insure and remove that consideration from your choice of what cards to use? If I can get 4% cashback(results in $800 per year cashback) and no Roadside Assistance with one card or I can get Roadside Assistance but no cashback at all with an HT card, which card would you suggest I go with?
> 
> A 'perk' is only a perk if you benefit from it. There is no benefit from just having it.


lta - just give it up. We each do what suits us best.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I took a cash advance from Santander Bank ATM yesterday. At the end ther were two questions, side by side on the screen.

In green..do you want to accept the transaction at $601 CAD.

In red, on the left of the screen....the option with the words ‘I do not accept’. I went with this one.

The difference was $31 CAD. By selecting red the fx conversion was done by HT. The HT converted number was $570.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

ian said:


> I took a cash advance from Santander Bank ATM yesterday. At the end ther were two questions, side by side on the screen.
> 
> In green..do you want to accept the transaction at $601 CAD.
> 
> ...


That has nothing to do with HT vs any other bank ian. That was a choice of 'Dyamic Conversion' which is a 'service' offered by vendors, usually through a third party service. It is interesting how they presented it though, usually, the choice is asked in terms of which currency you wish to make the transaction in. Choosing your 'home' currency results in a higher exchange rate being used vs choosing to have the transaction done in local currency. Dynamic Currency conversion is now common around the world and travellers need to be aware of it and always choose to have the transaction done in the local currency. Your example is a particularly sneaky example of it.

https://www.investopedia.com/dynamic-currency-conversion-dcc-term-4769305


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

ian said:


> I took a cash advance from Santander Bank ATM yesterday. At the end ther were two questions, side by side on the screen.
> 
> In green..do you want to accept the transaction at $601 CAD.
> 
> ...


On Paypal they ask a similar question.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

LTA...that may be so but since having this card and using it for ATM cash advances in Europe, Asia, and Australia probably twenty plus times over the last two or three years we have NEVER been asked, or experienced this on a foreign bank atm cash advance. 

We have Of course experienced this at the retail purchase level. Also never has the words ‘do not accept’ at a retail level either.

Of course I realize that this is not a HT issue. You know LTA, it is not an admirable quality to assume that you are brilliant and that everyone else is a lesser being!


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

I took it as a simple description of what happened where instead of implying what entity triggered the currency fx option.


I use CC's at retail level so that's where I have seen this attempt to fatten the bottom line with a more expensive fx rate. It has been rare enough that I don't recall the exact wording but remember that it was defaulted so one had to actively pick the CC fx rate. Anyone in a hurry, clicking "accept" or "ok" without reading would be selecting the more expensive fx rate.


Cheers


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

ian said:


> LTA...that may be so but since having this card and using it for ATM cash advances in Europe, Asia, and Australia probably twenty plus times over the last two or three years we have NEVER been asked, or experienced this on a foreign bank atm cash advance.
> 
> We have Of course experienced this at the retail purchase level. Also never has the words ‘do not accept’ at a retail level either.
> 
> Of course I realize that this is not a HT issue. You know LTA, it is not an admirable quality to assume that you are brilliant and that everyone else is a lesser being!


This thread is read by more than just you ian. Information about something like Dynamic Currency Conversion is of general interest and is worth explaining. I don't just write to you even if I am referencing a comment you make. As you wrote it, a reader could easily have read what you wrote as saying your HT card was somehow the reason you got a lower exchange rate. I simply wanted to make it clear that ANY card would have got a lower exchange rate and that the issue was Dynamic Currency Conversion. Frankly, I think that is what YOU should have been pointing out but you didn't.

It is not admirable to assume that because you understand something, that everyone else will. I find it better to assume nothing including who is or is not a 'lesser being' in terms of knowledge. Not knowing whether someone has less knowledge about something does NOT imply you see someone as a 'lesser being' in ANY other way, which is what YOU are implying I was doing. Your comment in that regard belittles you, not me, in my opinion.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

Eclectic12 said:


> I took it as a simple description of what happened where instead of implying what entity triggered the currency fx option.
> 
> 
> I use CC's at retail level so that's where I have seen this attempt to fatten the bottom line with a more expensive fx rate. It has been rare enough that I don't recall the exact wording but remember that it was defaulted so one had to actively pick the CC fx rate. Anyone in a hurry, clicking "accept" or "ok" without reading would be selecting the more expensive fx rate.
> ...


I understood what ian was describing Eclectic12 and other readers might have as well, as you did. However, some readers might NOT have understood it that way and might NOT have understood that the REAL issue was Dynamic Currency Conversion and what that is. Ian could have chosen to explain the issue but did not and so I explained it for those who are not familiar with it. 

You are correct in saying that sometimes the credit card terminal 'defaults' to the choice you do not want. In other cases, you are asking to select by pressing 1 or 2, there is no 'accept' or 'OK'. It varies and means you have to pay attention and look before clicking on anything. 

It happens both on retail transactions and obviously as ian has reported, on ATM transactions as well. I wouldn't know about ATM transactions since I use a debit card for those. I don't need to mess around pre-loading a credit card to avoid interest charges and FX loading since I use a debit card that does not charge FX loading or ATM usage fees and refunds any ATM usage fees that another bank charges when you use their ATM. 

Now ian's in a huff because I clarified the issue. LOL


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Not in a huff at all. Do not see a reason to clarify. Perhaps to improve reading comprehension. My first sentence was cash advance from an ATM. Is that really so unclear?

As an aside, now at a second property in Mexico that requests cash or a surcharge of five percent for credit card payments. No issue at restaurants though.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Longtimeago said:


> This thread is read by more than just you ian.


Don't know about others, but I have now seldom get past the first sentence of your long winded posts. Better to tune out than respond.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

agent99 said:


> Don't know about others, but I have now seldom get past the first sentence of your long winded posts. Better to tune out than respond.


Sorry to hear you have reading difficulties agent99. You could also use some remedial work on your writing, "but I have now seldom get past" is not good at all. 

As for the length of a post, is there a limit you feel should be adhered to, like Twitter? Unlike many people who only know how to use their thumbs to 'key' with, I can 'key' with all 10 of my fingers and thumbs at an average speed of 75 words per minute. So writing more is not an issue for me in any way. Nor do I have a problem with maintaining my attention span beyond 30 seconds, so reading something longer is not an issue for me either. 

I feel sorry for younger generations who have difficulty writing more than one sentence without making mistakes and who have difficulty with their attention span when something goes beyond the time it takes them to read a Tweet.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I feel sorry for some of the older generation who go on and on and on in some valiant attempt to impress people of their great knowledge and wisdom. They are legends in their own minds.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Ian   time to switch LTA off. Hopefully actual owners of HT cards will add their experiences to this thread


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## Video_Frank (Aug 2, 2013)

agent99 said:


> Hopefully actual owners of HT cards will add their experiences to this thread


Actual owner here. I had a Scotia Momentum Infinite Visa and an Amazon card at one time. Amazon was discontinued so I went with the HT Visa. Scotia upped their fees and lowered their rewards so I went with the Rogers cashback instead. In January I cancelled the Visa and was refunded my fees for 2020. I transferred the account over to the free Scotia Visa. As of now I have the Rogers, with 1.75% no fee cash back on everything, the HT Visa with no forex and 1% cash back on domestic purchases and the no-fee Scotia Momentum.

We've used the HT Visa out of country without issue - Bonaire, the US and Grand Cayman. It gets accepted everywhere and it does what it says - foreign currency without extra fees. The only thing that would make it better would be a higher credit limit. We had $27k on the Scotia Visa, which carried over to the no-fee Visa, but only about $10k or so on the HT and Rogers. We're booking flights, hotels and excursions right now for a two week trip to Italy in August and it's easy to max the cards out.

tl;dr: very happy with my HT Visa.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

We had the same issue with HT. We called and explained the issue. They increased the limit to $15k and told us that if this became an issue to call back and they would raise it again. We plan to do so before our next trip.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

Video_Frank said:


> Actual owner here. I had a Scotia Momentum Infinite Visa and an Amazon card at one time. Amazon was discontinued so I went with the HT Visa. Scotia upped their fees and lowered their rewards so I went with the Rogers cashback instead. In January I cancelled the Visa and was refunded my fees for 2020. I transferred the account over to the free Scotia Visa. As of now I have the Rogers, with 1.75% no fee cash back on everything, the HT Visa with no forex and 1% cash back on domestic purchases and the no-fee Scotia Momentum.
> 
> We've used the HT Visa out of country without issue - Bonaire, the US and Grand Cayman. It gets accepted everywhere and it does what it says - foreign currency without extra fees. The only thing that would make it better would be a higher credit limit. We had $27k on the Scotia Visa, which carried over to the no-fee Visa, but only about $10k or so on the HT and Rogers. We're booking flights, hotels and excursions right now for a two week trip to Italy in August and it's easy to max the cards out.
> 
> tl;dr: very happy with my HT Visa.


Why would you not use your Rogers World Elite card with 4% cashback on foreign transactions rather than the HT no forex card? The Rogers Forex charge is 2.5% which means that on every foreign transaction you use it for, you get 4% - 2.5% = 1.5% cashback. Even on domestic purchases it pays 1.75% vs the HT 1%. Your losing money using the HT card instead of your Rogers World Elite card.
https://rogersbank.com/en/rogers_worldelite_mastercard_details

The HT card was one of the best cards available in Canada for a traveller but that is simply no longer the case. Which cards are best changes all the time. I don't know why some people want to keep insisting a card is better when it no longer is.

Even if you only have a Rogers Platinum, it pays 3% on foreign transactions and 1.25% on domestic transactions. That still works out better then HT for both foreign and domestic. It was not better for foreign when HT still paid 1% on foreign but it no longer does.


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## Video_Frank (Aug 2, 2013)

Longtimeago said:


> Why would you not use your Rogers World Elite card with 4% cashback on foreign transactions rather than the HT no forex card?


Because it was maxed out.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Longtimeago said:


> The HT card was one of the best cards available in Canada for a traveller but that is simply no longer the case. Which cards are best changes all the time. I don't know why some people want to keep insisting a card is better when it no longer is.
> 
> Even if you only have a Rogers Platinum, it pays 3% on foreign transactions and 1.25% on domestic transactions. That still works out better then HT for both foreign and domestic. It was not better for foreign when HT still paid 1% on foreign but it no longer does.


Now that HT and Scotia Passport are neutered, BRIM mastercard is probably the best bet for a 0 fx fee Canadian card.

Ignoring that any Canadian could simply open a US domiciled account with 0 fx travel cards plus cash back to boot

Rogers gives cash back on fx but still charges fx fees. Any refund will result in double the fx fee and no cash back..


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

m3s said:


> Now that HT and Scotia Passport are neutered, BRIM mastercard is probably the best bet for a 0 fx fee Canadian card.
> 
> Ignoring that any Canadian could simply open a US domiciled account with 0 fx travel cards plus cash back to boot
> 
> Rogers gives cash back on fx but still charges fx fees. Any refund will result in double the fx fee and no cash back..


Well I suppose if you want to anticipate refunds m3s that is correct. But how likely is that? 

The Brim World Elite would not suit me personally since it has a $199 annual fee plus $50 for a second card. It also has a $25k annual spend limit for its 2% reward and I would exceed that every year. My average card transactions for the last 5 years would average somewhere around $35-40k per year. 

However, I agree that for many people what Brim offers may be better than the HT card for many travellers.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

Video_Frank said:


> Because it was maxed out.


Ahh, that makes sense Video_Frank. So you need to get them to up your limit obviously as ian suggested. The alternative when you hit your limit when travelling, is to simply go online and make a payment which will avoid hitting your limit. That is probably better than using a card that gets you less reward. All you lose is the interest you could have earned if you waited till your 'payment due date' to pay your balance in full.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

$199 annual fee and only 2% cash back up to $25k?.. I thought there was a decent free Brim card

So far I have 2 US domiciled free 0 fx cash back cards. Once my US credit history matures there should be even better options


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## Video_Frank (Aug 2, 2013)

Longtimeago said:


> Ahh, that makes sense Video_Frank. So you need to get them to up your limit obviously as ian suggested. The alternative when you hit your limit when travelling, is to simply go online and make a payment which will avoid hitting your limit. That is probably better than using a card that gets you less reward. All you lose is the interest you could have earned if you waited till your 'payment due date' to pay your balance in full.


I'm too lazy to read my terms but I believe there's a clause that says you can't spend more than your credit limit per month, which nullifies pre-paying. 
 Here's an example.

Another quote:


> I overpay my Rogers MC all the time, the website shows balance as negative however it would not allow to spend over limit, tried to buy a $5200 server with $5000 limit + $400ish overpay did not work had to call in to get my limit raised


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Longtimeago said:


> Well I suppose if you want to anticipate refunds m3s that is correct. But how likely is that?
> 
> The Brim World Elite would not suit me personally since it has a $199 annual fee plus $50 for a second card. It also has a $25k annual spend limit for its 2% reward and I would exceed that every year. My average card transactions for the last 5 years would average somewhere around $35-40k per year.
> 
> However, I agree that for many people what Brim offers may be better than the HT card for many travellers.


Any reason why you need the Brim World Elite and not the free Brim card? https://brimfinancial.com/

I would think that the 1% back would be fine enough, particularly if you were previously using the Hometrust Visa which had the same rebate rate.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

bgc_fan said:


> and not the free Brim card? https://brimfinancial.com/


The only thing that upsets me about HT is that they take too long to recognize payments and end up rejecting charges after the account has been paid off.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

kcowan said:


> The only thing that upsets me about HT is that they take too long to recognize payments and end up rejecting charges after the account has been paid off.


I hadn't noticed that. Do you mean you set your payments on the due date and while your bank payments go through, HT gets the payment late by a day or something?

I noticed that Brim doesn't register payments immediately and I will get the automated late e-mails, but things work out.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I find payments variable. I have paid money on Monday AM from our CIBC account and had it show up on our HT account on Tuesday afternoon. Other times 2-3 full days. We find transferring on Friday often does not make it until the following Wednesday.

We find the same is true with the pending file. We have had cash withdrawals sitting in pending for as long as three days before hitting the ledger. Same with other retail charges. Not certain how long a pending charge sit there. We had to do a $3500 deposit on a car two week car rental in Cyprus. After one week it disappeared from the pending file. Same with hotel holds.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

ian said:


> We had the same issue with HT. We called and explained the issue. They increased the limit to $15k and told us that if this became an issue to call back and they would raise it again. We plan to do so before our next trip.


We were going to ask HT for an increase. We only have $3k. But, we only use the HT card for non grocery items while snowbirding. Other than our monthly rent, no big ticket items such as airline tickets etc. If we did need more, we could use our US$ Mastercard which is also no FX. So decided as a safety to leave HT limit at $3k. We use our Scotia Momentum for groceries as well as purchases at Walmart and get the 4% cashback less FX on those.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

bgc_fan said:


> I hadn't noticed that. Do you mean you set your payments on the due date and while your bank payments go through, HT gets the payment late by a day or something?
> 
> I noticed that Brim doesn't register payments immediately and I will get the automated late e-mails, but things work out.


Yes the payment is received but not registered, so any charges that are on payment date are rejected even though the payment shows up retroactively on that date.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

m3s said:


> $199 annual fee and only 2% cash back up to $25k?.. I thought there was a decent free Brim card
> 
> So far I have 2 US domiciled free 0 fx cash back cards. Once my US credit history matures there should be even better options


If you click on the 'card comparison chart' here m3s you will see the choices. https://brimfinancial.com/ The no annual fee and no 25K limit card only gives you 1% and also does not provide some of the other 'perks' like some of the insurance coverage. ie. rental car coverage, etc.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

bgc_fan said:


> Any reason why you need the Brim World Elite and not the free Brim card? https://brimfinancial.com/
> 
> I would think that the 1% back would be fine enough, particularly if you were previously using the Hometrust Visa which had the same rebate rate.


Well I guess you could look at it that way bgc_fan but I would ask you why you would want to settle for either when there are better choices available to you. If you are going to get a new card, you might as well get the one that offers you the most don't you think? 

Personally, there is no way I would be settling for a 1% cashback card when there are better choices available. And that says nothing about the other 'perks' like the various insurance coverages some give.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

kcowan said:


> Yes the payment is received but not registered, so any charges that are on payment date are rejected even though the payment shows up retroactively on that date.


Issues with monthly spend limits and when a debit or credit is posted, pending holds, etc. are all simply indicators that your monthly credit limit is not in line with your monthly spending and the card issuers systems of posting.

Some people try to get a credit limit that equals roughly 2 months average spending on their card. They see that as a solution but that is not enough if you run into larger pending charges for example as ian has mentioned. It may be enough when you are at home but may not be when you travel. The card we use when travelling has a $35k credit limit which is roughly equal to our annual travel budget.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

Longtimeago said:


> Well I guess you could look at it that way bgc_fan but I would ask you why you would want to settle for either when there are better choices available to you. If you are going to get a new card, you might as well get the one that offers you the most don't you think?
> 
> Personally, there is no way I would be settling for a 1% cashback card when there are better choices available. And that says nothing about the other 'perks' like the various insurance coverages some give.


Considering that the thread is titled Home Trust Preferred Visa and we are looking for comparisons, then looking at the 1% cashback would appear to be the comparable choice and not the 2%.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Occasionally on our HT account we have a charge in the pending file AND a charge for the same transaction on the ledger. More often it happens with hotel charges however we have one this morning for $75 bus fare. Sometimes these remain in the pending file for 5-7 days. 

This is why we will get our 15K limit increased when we return home. Foreign cash advances hit the pending file immediately. It typically takes 2 days to clear but the pending amount is cancelled at the same time the transaction moves to the ledger. No problem on these.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Ian, I can see your need to increase your limit. And as posted before, we plan on keeping our limit low. As usual we decide these things based on our personal usage. But it is good to read how others who actually have the HT card are using it.

We use our card amongst other things for gas and restaurants. Many times, here in usa, the card has to be given to the waiter or sales clerk. On two occasions over past 16 years, our Mastercard number was used fraudulently. M/C caught these and refunded us. Not sure if Hometrust have as robust security as m/c. 

A friend lost his wallet while getting in his car in Miami. He cancelled his cards within 2 hours. By that time, the card was first used for a small purchase, and then to buy an airline ticket. Flight had gone by time this was discovered. He eventually was refunded but it took some time and his card was not usable. 

When we had the Amazon visa, it was blocked twice for suspicious activity

$3000 covers our monthly non grocery expenses and if for any reason our card became unusable, we have our US$ m/c and a Scotia Momentum visa.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

agent99 said:


> Many times, here in usa, the card has to be given to the waiter or sales clerk. On two occasions over past 16 years, our Mastercard number was used fraudulently. M/C caught these and refunded us. Not sure if Hometrust have as robust security as m/c.


We no longer give our cards to servers. When we indicate the chip, they understand and bring the tableside device. It just makes theft that much harder. Once in a while in Europe, they ask me to go to the cash where their reader is.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

kcowan said:


> We no longer give our cards to servers. When we indicate the chip, they understand and bring the tableside device. It just makes theft that much harder. Once in a while in Europe, they ask me to go to the cash where their reader is.


Problem here is that not all restaurants have the portable readers. Until recently they did not have them at all in this area (Carolinas). 

Many gas stations won't accept the postal code trick when using the HT card, and we have to go inside. Sometimes we can use the card ourselves in their reader, but at others, the clerk takes the card. Once you don't have it in your hand, anything can happen. 

M/C called us once when our card number was being used at a Walmart, somewhere in the mid-west (we had never been there). We established that whoever had that card number could only have got it from a gas station in a small town on I95 when we stopped for gas months earlier.

We take all the usual precautions, but even still, having the low credit limit on our HT card limits any losses.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

agent99 said:


> Many gas stations won't accept the postal code trick when using the HT card, and we have to go inside. Sometimes we can use the card ourselves in their reader, but at others, the clerk takes the card. Once you don't have it in your hand, anything can happen.


Yea I've posted on here the postal code trick doesn't work in many places in the states. I think it's more common in the tourist locations

I've found the US domiciled cards handy for several reasons. The free TD US cash back card is also 0 fx and the debit is good as well


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

We will not let our credit cards out of our sight...at home or while travelling. We are very careful as to which ATMs to use and to the time of day.

There have been several times in the last month when servers have asked us to go up to the cash are in order to use our credit cards. We are happy to do this.

We also get notifications. Just this AM we got a notification of a $75 charge that we incurred yesterday on HT.

I like that feature when we are travelling. We have something similar on our C1 MC.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

agent99 said:


> Problem here is that not all restaurants have the portable readers. Until recently they did not have them at all in this area (Carolinas).
> 
> Many gas stations won't accept the postal code trick when using the HT card, and we have to go inside. Sometimes we can use the card ourselves in their reader, but at others, the clerk takes the card. Once you don't have it in your hand, anything can happen ...


With bogus machines on the desk that capture the data before sending it on to the real machine and devices being attached overtop of the real device ... the card does not have to leave one's hand to be scammed.

https://globalnews.ca/news/2785209/...card-reader-scam-while-vacationing-in-europe/
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-spot-and-avoid-credit-card-skimmers


Cheers


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Eclectic12 said:


> With bogus machines on the desk that capture the data before sending it on to the real machine and devices being attached overtop of the real device ... the card does not have to leave one's hand to be scammed.
> 
> https://globalnews.ca/news/2785209/...card-reader-scam-while-vacationing-in-europe/
> https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-spot-and-avoid-credit-card-skimmers
> ...


This can happen at ATMs too. So what would you suggest Cut up the cards and carry cash? Would that be safer? 

Best thing to carry is a degree of CCCS.




Note 1. CCCS (Credit Card Common Sense)


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

Be alert and watch for inconsistencies ... and probably the suggestions in the linked articles to check for the more detectable skimming devices.


Cheers


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

I watched a program on tv last night about a scam called 'sim swapping.' You can find an explanation here: https://www.google.com/search?q=sca.....69i57j0l2.9643j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Basically, they take over your smartphone and can then access everything you use it for including your bank accounts. All of these kinds of issues arise from our dependency on digital devices and the internet. If you're 'plugged in', you're vulnerable. 

'Sim swappers', particularly like to target people who have cryptocurrency. So when someone posts in a forum such as this one that they hold crptocurrency, they put a big targt on their back. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/loc...rgeting-cell-phones-in-sim-swap-scams/189712/

So while you are worrying about your credit card security, what are you doing about your smartphone security? Here is the program I watched, I think it is worth watching if you use a smartphone for anything other than making phone calls. https://www.mtv.ca/shows/true-life-crime/episode/1900218/the-5-million-phone-hack/


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Sim swapping targets accounts that use sms codes for "2 step authentication"

When the Canadian banks started doing this I was immediately posting here this is a very bad idea - it was long ago known vulnerability for crypto brokerage accounts. Good crypto accounts, and most online accounts for that matter let you setup true "2 factor authentication" rather than unsecure sms codes

Crypto should ideally be stored in a secure hardware wallet not left online "protected" by sms codes like Cdn banks


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I just spoke with the Canadian call center for HT visa, and they said the maximum number of daily transactions has been increased to 12


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Skimmers have been found everywhere, including on in branch ATM’s. The only thing one can do is exercise common sense. This is an ever changing cat and mouse game between the thieves and the financial institutions.

We are Ok with a limit on the number of daily transactions. I cannot recall reaching ten per day over years of business travel and extended personal travel. Even in OZ last year where we paid for everything I do not think we reached even six. But....we are not shoppers, well at least I am not.


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## STech (Jun 7, 2016)

Heads up. My HT Visa card was compromised, and someone made some online purchases in the US. The only reason I noticed is that it said my statement was ready and I noticed charges on it right away.I use another card daily, and this Visa is my backup card. I had to call and report it stolen, then call another department to dispute the charges. I'll have to wait 15 business days and the new card should show up, and charges dropped. 

I logged online and I see you can now setup an alert to email you as soon as any transaction exceeds an amount you set. I use a different card daily, and it has an app that notifies of me of purchases right away, and I can lock the card right away from my phone. HT Visa doesn't have those. I checked all of my other accounts, and nothing else seems compromised. I have no idea how this Visa number was stolen, but it happened. Not sure what else I can do from my end to prevent it.


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