By Ed Smith/ When Laura Edell entered “Havana” into Toronto Dominion Bank’s (TD) Expedia-powered travel booking portal, the response was not a warning, a policy notice or legal explanation. Instead, the screen displayed a single message: “Sorry, it seems we have taken a wrong turn.”
There were no search results. No indication that travel to Cuba was restricted and no way for the family to use the travel reward points to book a trip to the island. It was simply not an option through the bank’s booking system.
The message appeared as Edell, her partner and their two children were trying to finalize plans for a Christmas vacation to Cuba. The family had chosen the destination for its affordability, family-friendly resorts and the availability of direct flights from Ontario.
According to Edell, the trip was meant to be paid for using travel rewards accumulated through a TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card. To redeem those points for airfare and accommodations, the family logged into the Expedia for TD booking platform, then hit a dead end.
“At first, (we) thought it was a glitch,” Edell said. “There was nothing saying Cuba wasn’t allowed.” That’s when they saw the message about taking a wrong turn.
It was only after conducting their own research that the family discovered the absence of options for Cuba in the search results was not a technical error, but the consequence of a policy decision. Expedia does not allow TD cardholders to redeem travel reward points for trips to Cuba.
By the time the reason became clear, Edell said, it was too late to research an alternative destination for the Christmas holidays. The family cancelled their travel plans and spent Christmas in Niagara at the home of Laura’s parents instead.
Her parents were glad for the unexpected family holiday time, but when her father (Dennis Edell) learned of the circumstances that forced his daughter and her family to stay home he became concerned. Dennis, a longtime TD customer, said he was stunned by what he was hearing.
U.S. sanctions
After investigating further, Dennis said he discovered that Expedia Group has blocked bookings to Cuba, citing legal risks arising from U.S. sanctions, including liability under the Helms-Burton Act.
Helms-Burton is an American law that tightened and expanded the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba and, crucially, extended it beyond the country’s borders. The Act locked an embargo into American law and applied that U.S. law to foreign companies, even when their activities are legal under their own national laws.
Canada does not recognize the Helms-Burton extraterritorial applications and has gone so far as to pass Canadian legislation intended to block Canadian companies from complying with the American law and the country’s sweeping embargo against Cuba.
“I couldn’t believe this could be true. Expedia won’t accept new bookings for Cuba, even for non-U.S. travellers, because of U.S. law,” Dennis continued. “And TD is allowing that policy to be applied to Canadian customers.”
TD customer service representatives confirmed to Dennis that the Expedia for TD platform does not permit Cuba bookings, and suggested his daughter redeem her points for cash and book travel independently. They rejected that option, noting that cash redemption significantly devalues travel reward points compared to booking directly through the Expedia platform. In effect a customer would be losing money if they followed that suggestion.
When he escalated the complaint to TD’s senior customer service office, Dennis said the bank offered to reimburse his daughter for a Cuba trip she never took, an offer they declined.
“That told me TD recognized the harm,” he said. “But this isn’t a customer service issue. It’s a policy issue.”
(TD was contacted for comment for this story but no response was received).
Dany Tur de la Concepción, Deputy Head of Mission at the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa, framed the family’s experience as part of a broader pattern caused by the extraterritorial reach of U.S. economic sanctions.
He described the U.S. embargo as “the longest-running and most comprehensive system of unilateral sanctions imposed on any country,” noting that it has been in place for more than 60 years.
According to Tur de la Concepción, the embargo places pressure on foreign banks, airlines and companies operating outside the United States, including in Canada.
“That pressure leads financial institutions to adopt overly restrictive policies when transactions involve Cuba, even where such restrictions may not be permitted under Canadian law,” he stated.
The case has also drawn criticism from Canadian civil society organizations that monitor Canada-Cuba relations and the global reach of U.S. sanctions.
In a written response to Edell, TD Bank’s Senior Customer Complaints Office (SCCO) confirmed that it would not change its policy restricting the redemption of TD travel rewards for Cuba-related travel. TD acknowledged Edell’s frustration and apologized for the inconvenience, but stated that its review found no errors or service failures within the bank’s direct control.
Unsatisfied with any of the responses provided by TD, the complaint has now been escalated to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) by the Edells, requesting a formal investigation.
For Edell, the issue goes beyond one cancelled vacation.
“What looked like a simple booking glitch turned out to be U.S. foreign policy deciding what Canadians can do with their own bank rewards,” he said.
And what began with a vague message – “Sorry, it seems we have taken a wrong turn” – has now evolved into a case touching on consumer rights, Canadian sovereignty and punitive actions against Cubans through the reach of American sanctions into everyday financial services in Canada.
Whether regulators agree remains to be seen. But for now, the road to Cuba using TD reward points, remains closed.
(Story from The Pointer via Canadian Press)
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