Reader Jason asked me if I could put together a list of stores that let you use gift cards in Canada that were purchased in US. I said I didn’t really know of any aside from Starbucks, but he did have a list so I thought other readers could contribute to this resource.
Stores That Work
Here is the list of stores that do work:
- Airbnb
- Banana Republic
- Costco
- Fairmont
- Gap brands
- Home Depot
- J.Crew
- Lululemon
- Marriott
- Sears
- Starbucks
- Works: USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Hong Kong,
- Doesn’t work: France, Germany, Taiwan, China, Japan, Thailand
- Subway
- Tim Horton’s
- Toys R Us
- Whole Foods
Stores That Don’t Work
- Uber
The reason people might be interested in this is that it’s often a lot easier to purchase discounted third party gift cards in the USA than it is in Canada. If you’re Canadian it might make sense to purchase these third party discounted gift cards with a card that has no foreign transaction fee. It seems that these stores will keep the gift card in it’s native currency and then do a currency conversion at the point of sale (with no fees and good conversion rates). Just keep in mind you are at the risk of currency value swings. Starbucks is a particularly interesting one as they operate in a lot of countries and airports. One of the best ways of dealing with foreign coins (aside from keeping them as a souvenir or giving them to kids) is to add the coins to your Starbucks account. Feel free to add your own data points in the comments.
View Comments (34)
Pier I does. You pay the appropriate conversation rate in the US when purchasing.
1 Sears, Toys R Us, Subway, Airbnb
Thanks, added
J. Crew works in CAN
Thanks, added
I used cards for Banana Republic in Canada that I bought on Raise. They also worked at the exchange rate, so that was a nice plus.
Added, thanks
Marriott yes. Hyatt somewhat (Americas only). The Starbucks situation is quite complex; it deserves its own spreadsheet. Varies by country.
Anyone know about PF Chang's?
Added some more dp regarding Starbucks.
Also curious about H&M
Subway gc works in Canada
Subway did not work in Aruba
Thanks, added
Lululemon, Fairmont (great for Canada with the current great exchange rate). I especially love Lululemon in Canada as it's one of the few places where the prices are the same as in the U.S. so much better pricing for Americans.
Good tip
Marriott does
see:
https://twitter.com/Marriott/status/913237122475315201
Not only does Marriott, but they'll even show it's value in other currencies.
Uber seems the strangest to not allow international usage. They also don't allow you to use the free first ride in a different country.
This just encourages you to set up a new account (and the frre first ride that comes along with it) when you go to Canada. Just make sure to get referred by a local.
You would think Uber is most likely to be used by travelers like Starbucks so they would want to make it as international as possible.
Starbucks gc does not work in China/Japan. They don’t even recognize the US membership.
Thanks, added
Good
Starbucks GC will not work in Thailand as well.