That workaround isn't working reliably for me. I'm able to get to the older version of the checkout, but I'm unable to login to Paypal again once I'm in there.
Given all the issues, I finally just decided to call in to Paypal and have them permanently change the default currency of the Visa I use for foreign purchases (which has no forex fee) to USD instead of CAD. Since 99% of my purchases through Paypal on that card are in USD, that solution should work well enough for me until Paypal resolves this issue (assuming they're even trying, considering it's actually gotten worse from where we were a month ago).
It's getting very hard to believe this wasn't a delberate action on Paypal's part, considering the time it's taking to fix and also their constant attempts over the years to make the currency conversion option harder and harder to find in their interface. Hopefully a class-action lawsuit results from this, and they're eventually forced to resolve the issue.
Needless to say, even though I'm now able to charge USD to my card, I'm only going to be using Paypal when absolutely necessary until this is fixed. I'm not going to continue making them money when it seems as if they're intentionally stealing from customers, and also probably violating their agreements with Mastercard, Visa and Amex. Considering that even debit/credit terminals in many stores along the US/Canada border are setup to give Canadian card users the option to convert with the store or their own issuer, I'm pretty sure it must be mandatory to offer consumers that choice, and the same must apply to Paypal.
