Under the Privacy Act, if the government holds personal information on you, you have the right to receive that information (with some security exclusions) free of charge. This information includes those records held by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). I recently requested records held by the CBSA. It’s a simple and free process, and the results can be absolutely fascinating!
The American Express Global Transfer program allows you to use the relationship history that you've built with AMEX in a foreign country as a basis to apply for a card in a new country, where you presumably have little to no prior credit history. I recently went through this process, applying for an AMEX card in the United States using my Canadian AMEX history as a basis for the application.
It’s always a good idea to have some local currency when travelling, for street food, miscellaneous expenditures, tips, etc. Some people go to currency exchange shops to take money out before their trip, or to a bank. Others have it delivered via a special service, or take it out locally. So what is the best way to take money out for a trip?
Aeroplan award tickets are generally refundable. However, Aeroplan has a pesky term that states
Unused and valid flight rewards may be refunded and miles reinstated up to 22 days before the scheduled date of departure. A C$90.00 fee plus taxes per ticket will apply. This fee is non-refundable.
A flight booking is a complicated thing. There are multiple parts, and all parts have to be in sync with each other for you to be able to board your flight. There is: a booking (your PNR), tickets, and; flight coupons. It’s usually quite easy to check your booking by using your reference number on the carrier’s website. However, checking the tickets and flights coupons is a harder task.
Phantom availability is when an award search engine shows award seats as available, but when you go to confirm them, they come up as unavailable. However, I’ve been noticing a new phenomenon with Star Alliance availability – “hidden” inventory.
