This post is sponsored by CIBC, however all thoughts and opinions are our own!

Way back in December 2016, we introduced CIBC’s amazing new AC currency conversion card, which, to summarise, was enormously helpful on our adventures abroad over the next few years.

We pre-loaded it with several great currencies at once, and never had to worry about someone stealing our card and running off with all our money!

But then, in 2020, that little thing called COVID-19 appeared on the scene and all of our travel plans flew out the window.

No travel, and no currency conversion for us, and our poor little AC Conversion card started gathering dust.

2021 – back to travel again!

But suddenly, here we are again in 2021, and travel seems poised for a comeback. Borders are opening up again, and soon fully vaccinated people are going to be allowed to travel again.

I know that we’re looking forward to heading back to the UK as soon as we don’t have to spend two weeks in quarantine, and then shortly afterwards we’re hoping to head back to our favourite country in the world; Japan (one of the currencies you can preload on the card)! Not to mention a few more trips we’re hoping to do in the US in the near future.

So, once again, currency conversion is going to become a big part of our lives, and if we can possibly avoid it, we’d love to avoid giving away our previous earnings as currency conversion fees.

The CIBC AC Conversion Card is BACK!

With travel back on the dance card, we’re pleased to announce that CIBC is giving their AC Conversion Card a fresh lick of paint and is offering the card with some brand new incentives! It’s the perfect companion for anyone that’s been itching to hit the road again and get back to travel (i.e. *absolutely everyone*).

Here’s what makes the CIBC AC Conversion card better for travel than the average credit card:

• You can choose and load up to 10 currencies at a time onto your prepaid card, and then, when you’re in that country, the card intelligently pays in that currency. So there’s no currency conversion fee except for when you initially purchase the currency.
• Zero fees to order, load, and purchase currencies for your card
• $10 Refer a Friend bonus
• 1% Cash Back on all purchases (basically you get paid to go eat ramen in Japan!)

With travel gradually returning to normal, it’s going to be a great option to have a card that you can use in multiple countries, where you can buy currency in advance at today’s exchange rate.

While you’re abroad, there’s always a risk that if you change currency you’ll be hit with extortionate fees or sudden exchange rate hikes. Pre-loading a CIBC AC Conversion Card is a great way to protect yourself!

Which currencies are included with the AC Conversion Card?

And one more time, here are all the currencies you can

1. Canadian Dollars – CAD
2. United States Dollars – USD
3. Euros – EUR
4. Great British Pounds (UK) – GBP
5. Mexican Peso – MXN
6. Hong Kong Dollars– HKD
7. Australian Dollars – AUD
8. Japanese Yen – JPY
9. Turkish Lira – TRY
10. Swiss Franc (Switzerland)– CHF

But, of course, you can still use it in other countries too, your money will just be converted at the standard exchange rate at that time!

Final thoughts

Travel is soon to be back on the tip of everyone’s tongue again. I’ve yet to meet someone that isn’t daydreaming constantly about their next beach vacation, or, let’s face it, their next trip literally anywhere. And with the CIBC AC conversion card, you can spend more of your money on your actual vacation, rather than heinous credit card fees.

We’ve always leaned more towards using cash in certain countries over credit cards, and that has always been because we want get all the fees out the way at the local FOREX office before we take off, and we don’t want to worry about our card being cloned/defrauded while we’re away.

A currency conversion card means you can skip the line at the forex store, and limit your exposure to scams while you’re abroad. And for that reason, we’re more than happy to lean towards using this card instead of trying to stealthily hide bundles of cash under my clothes.