Paying for subscriptions in US or Canadian dollars: what you actually pay

Where the extra cost comes from

Three things sit between a US-dollar price and the amount on your statement:

1. The exchange rate. Your card issuer converts the USD charge to CAD at the card network's rate on the day the charge is processed. Rates move every day, so the same US$20 subscription can cost a different amount in CAD each month.
2. The foreign transaction fee. Most Canadian credit cards charge a percentage of the converted amount, commonly 2.5%, on any purchase made in a foreign currency. A few cards waive it. Your card's fee schedule says which applies to you.
3. Sales tax. Brands that sell digital services to Canadians may add GST/HST and, in some provinces, provincial sales tax at checkout. Whether the advertised price includes tax varies by brand.

A worked example

Take a subscription listed at US$20 a month and assume an exchange rate of 1.38 Canadian dollars per US dollar. These numbers illustrate the calculation; they are not today's rate.

Over twelve months that is about CA$339, and the total moves whenever the exchange rate does. To check any USD price yourself, multiply it by the current exchange rate, then by 1.025 if your card charges a 2.5% fee.

Which brands bill Canadians in which currency

Several large services now price directly in Canadian dollars for Canadian accounts, while others still show only US dollars. This table lists what each brand's own pricing page showed when it was last checked, with the source.

Brands change their prices and billing currency without notice, so confirm on the brand's own page before you buy.

What "priced in CAD" means at LicenceBase

Every LicenceBase price is in Canadian dollars and is charged once by Stripe, with no currency conversion and no taxes or fees added at checkout. There is nothing to cancel later either: plans do not renew automatically. The price index lists every product and plan in CAD on one page.

Paying in CAD removes the conversion and the card fee, but it is only part of the cost. Compare the full price for the period you need, and read "What you receive" on the product page before you pay.

How to avoid foreign transaction fees

• Choose services that bill Canadian accounts in CAD when that option exists.
• Use a credit card with no foreign transaction fee for purchases you can only make in US dollars.
• Where it suits you, pay yearly instead of monthly: one conversion instead of twelve, although the fee is still a percentage of the total.
• Check how app-store subscriptions are billed. Subscriptions bought through Apple or Google in Canada are usually charged in Canadian dollars.

Frequently asked questions

LicenceBase sells some of the products mentioned here. LicenceBase prices are read live from the store; brand prices show the date they were checked on the brand's own site.