I consider myself an organized person. Bordering on Type A crazy, I tend to think through the minutia of every detail to ensure I have a clear workback schedule. This is never truer than when we’re planning a trip.
This is how things get done in my world.
Not only do I need to plan out what to bring (down to the number of pairs of underwear, counting — of course — for the two spare pairs in case of emergencies), but also how to pack it (tropical travel essentials, like bathingsuits, sun hats, sandals and the obligatory trashy magazine must go in a carry-on in case checked luggage is lost).
So I’m not sure why it is that every time we travel — and I mean every. damn. time. — I leave currency exchange out of my critical path. I am forever running to the bank mere hours before we have to hop on a plane to get local cash. I think I forget because I do all my banking online; but for this, I have to get my lazy butt out of the house.
Don’t get me wrong: I use my credit card to pay for almost everything while we’re away, because I don’t love the idea of wandering around a foreign country strapped to the high heavens with money. But I like to have a couple hundred dollars with me when we land to pay for taxis, tips, snacks and other incidentals along the way.
When we recently went to The Philippines, it was 7:30 p.m. (the night before our 6:30 a.m. flight) before I realized I had nary a Philippine Peso in my pocket.
So off I sped to the mall to go to that currency exchange kiosk with the flashing lights and worldly flags on the facade.
“How much do you have in Philippine Pesos?” I asked, breathlessly.
“We can give you everything we’ve got: 4,200 Pesos,” she said, looking at her watch — only an hour until she was off-duty.
It was about $115 Canadian, and I took every last drop. That meant that we had to exchange more in The Philippines, with an exchange rate that wasn’t exactly in our favour.
It’s this scenario that makes me so wildly happy that there’s an option that fits with my lifestyle: CIBC Foreign Cash Online. I can order my foreign currency online (love, love, love) and have it delivered to my home or even Toronto Pearson airport (in terminal 1, international departures only). The website is 24/7, which means no more racing, no more rushing, no more being ripped off in another country — total convenience.
Sign-up is FREE and fast. And you DON’T have to be a CIBC client to use it (I’m not!). It took me three minutes from start to finish, and my application was approved inside of 10 minutes. I could have had money at my doorstep within 48 hours.
Here are some things you need to know about CIBC’s Foreign Cash Online service:
- You must register
- If you register between June 1 and July 6, 2015, you’re automatically entered to win $1,000!
- There’s a CDN$300 minimum and a CDN$2,500 maximum
- Your exchange and delivery is fully insured and delivered via Purolator within two business
- It’s open to any Canadian resident
- You can purchase more than 70 foreign currencies!
- You can purchase multiple currencies, too, which is great if you’re travel-hopping or have some international layovers (just adhere to the limits defined above)
#TravelCash Twitter Party – join us!
After you’ve entered to win a thousand bucks, make sure you RSVP for our awesome #TravelCash Twitter Party on June 25, 2015, at 9 p.m. ET. We’re talking travel (obviously!) and you can bet it’ll be a fun, FAST hour.
Do we have prizes? Of course we have prizes!
Let us help you step out in style this summer. There’s $700 in prizing up for grabs: four (4) lucky winners will win a $100 (CAD) prepaid CIBC Card and our Grand Prize (1) winner will win a $300 (CAD) prepaid CIBC Card.
RSVP below and be sure to enter your Twitter Handle “@yourTwitterhandle” in the Link/Blog Title field, and your Twitter URL “www.twitter.com/yourtwitterhandle” in the Link Field. Open to Canadians only.
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