{"id":156,"date":"2016-01-31T05:14:21","date_gmt":"2016-01-31T05:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/?p=156"},"modified":"2025-11-17T18:29:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T23:29:27","slug":"shopping-with-usd-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/2016\/01\/shopping-with-usd-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopping With USD Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/2016\/01\/shopping-with-usd-cards\/#INTRODUCTION\" >INTRODUCTION<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/2016\/01\/shopping-with-usd-cards\/#THE_PROBLEM\" >THE PROBLEM<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/2016\/01\/shopping-with-usd-cards\/#THE_SOLUTION_PART_A\" >THE SOLUTION (PART A)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/2016\/01\/shopping-with-usd-cards\/#THE_SOLUTION_PART_B\" >THE SOLUTION (PART B)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"INTRODUCTION\"><\/span>INTRODUCTION<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Jamaicans have been shopping online for some time now and this has given birth to various shipping companies. These companies will give you a US address that you can ship your items to once purchased. Some companies may even allow you to use their card (at a higher rate) to buy your things online. This information applies specifically to Jamaicans but may also be used for other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"THE_PROBLEM\"><\/span>THE PROBLEM<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Visa Debit cards are becoming the norm with various banks and this means everyone can shop online. That&#8217;s good, but the bad is the exchange rate. Unless you have a USD account your price for USD$1 may range from JMD$127-JMD$135. I kid you not. The exchange rate is set by the vendor &#8211; not the bank and their daily exchange rate &#8211; and you will then also have to pay the bank a conversion fee. This makes no sense if you use your card locally as you&#8217;ll have to pay the conversion fee for local purchases, and some banks don&#8217;t allow you to have an additional card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"THE_SOLUTION_PART_A\"><\/span>THE SOLUTION (PART A)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Use a second bank with a USD account and card strictly for online purchases. This allows you to buy USD at a lower rate from the bank and do your purchases in USD. But &#8211; there&#8217;s another problem. If you only use your card then that&#8217;s great! But sometimes vendors or services (like Amazon and PayPal) may detect that your account \/ card is located in another country and attempt to help you by offering to convert the USD to your home currency. This brings us to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"THE_SOLUTION_PART_B\"><\/span>THE SOLUTION (PART B)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First you need to get to the checkout section of your purchase. For this we will be using eBay and PayPal since Amazon is somewhat more straightforward. For Amazon just tell it to bill you in USD and not in JMD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So &#8211; for eBay\/PayPal you first need to get to the point where you&#8217;re going to checkout.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f5f572e2feb&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f5f572e2feb\" class=\"aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"179\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-01-300x179.png\" alt=\"Checkout 01\" class=\"wp-image-157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-01-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-01-1024x612.png 1024w, https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-01.png 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll get your total in USD and then the highlighted section will show you your total according to their conversion rate in your local currency. You don&#8217;t want this. You want it in USD to avoid additional fees of converting to JMD. So. There&#8217;s a small X in the right corner of the highlighted area. Click it or click on the little balloon icon in the bottom left of the highlighted area to show the next section.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f5f572e3262&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f5f572e3262\" class=\"aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"179\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-02-300x179.png\" alt=\"Checkout 02\" class=\"wp-image-158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-02-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-02-1024x612.png 1024w, https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-02.png 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This will now show you the conversion rate and there will be a small down arrow that you need to click.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f5f572e3478&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f5f572e3478\" class=\"aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"165\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-03-300x165.png\" alt=\"Checkout 03\" class=\"wp-image-159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-03-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-03.png 388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Once you click that small arrow you&#8217;ll see an option that says &#8220;USE CREDIT CARD EXCHANGE RATE&#8221; &#8211; click on that.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69f5f572e3668&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69f5f572e3668\" class=\"aligncenter wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"179\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-04-300x179.png\" alt=\"Checkout 04\" class=\"wp-image-160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-04-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-04-1024x612.png 1024w, https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Checkout-04.png 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Once done you will notice that the total is displayed in USD only and there is no JMD (local currency) listed anymore. This will allow the transaction to take place in USD which will not incur any additional fees for conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t do this process you&#8217;ll end up paying more as the currency will be converted from USD to JMD then back to USD and you&#8217;ll be billed for each conversion plus have to pay at a higher rate when going back to USD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully this will help when making your purchase online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>INTRODUCTION Jamaicans have been shopping online for some time now and this has given birth to various shipping companies. These companies will give you a US address that you can ship your items to once purchased. Some companies may even allow you to use their card (at a higher rate) to buy your things online. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/2016\/01\/shopping-with-usd-cards\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Shopping With USD Cards<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_eb_attr":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-endorsed","category-info"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4XHmQ-2w","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":672,"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions\/672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carlosthomas.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}