Pay with US $ or have Canadian $

I'm on an October cruise and our first port stop is in Canada. If you've traveled to Canada did you purchase Canadian $ before you left or did you get money when you were there? How about using US $? Any experiences appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Tom:)

Paying in US$ will give you a lousy exchange rate - perhaps tolerable for small items for a couple of days, but inadvisable otherwise. Wherever I go these days, I use a credit card which does not charge for foreign currency transactions to withdraw cash from an ATM, but others _will_ disagree! ;-)

 

Stuart

Well I won't disagree Stu! FTF-free Debit or CC and ATM is my preferred choice to get reasonable cash sums anywhere foreign. The ports in Canada will definitely be happy to take your greenbacks for pretty much anything except local transit, but the exchange rate is indeed crappy - I was just in Timmies this morning and they were advertising USD accepted at CAD$1.17 (actual interbank rate is just north of $1.29...)

 

Personally if you have a CC with low or no FTF, I'd use that for all purchases over $5 or $10. For the little things you can't pay for with CC, break a US$20 at the crap rate for the first small purchase, get change in much-more-entertaining-and-pretty-Canadian cash and use that for other small items.

Thanks with everyone's response. Since one would probably guesstimate how much Canidian $ to purchase in advance what people do with any left over $?

 

Thanks!

 

Tom😎

OK, i am on a cruise in Sept - most of our ports are in CA. I have already arranged tours - the ones I booked and paid for in advance my CC and or PayPal gave me the going rate - Pay Pal is great beause they don't charge any transaction fee - but then neither does my CC.

 

I have a couple of tours that are COD - I have a good idea of how much they are - so I will carry cash for them. I will probably get the cash from my local bank a couple of days prior to the cruise.

 

As far as getting small items I will probably just use my cards or take whatever exchange rate is in effect at the time.

We have taken 2 Canada New England cruises and we had Canadian and US $ with us both times. We always keep any currency we have left on our return, as next visit you have some already, and may need to just buy a small amount to top it up.

In the UK you can pre load a card with travel currency on it, and you can have at least 2 different currencies on at one time. The day it is loaded on at that rate will provide you that exact rate where ever you use it abroad. It has your own PIN number for security and used like a card for transactions with no fee. We have not used one but know lots of people who have and prefer it to cash.

Jean.

Thanks with everyone's response. Since one would probably guesstimate how much Canidian $ to purchase in advance what people do with any left over $?

 

Thanks!

 

Tom😎

 

How much are you going to spend?

No one can tell you how much money you will want to spend. It is personal and depends on so many factors.

 

Your best way to get cash (lowest exchange rate) is from ATMs.

Thanks with everyone's response. Since one would probably guesstimate how much Canidian $ to purchase in advance what people do with any left over $?

 

Thanks!

 

Tom😎

Notes you can re-exchange; coins you can keep as souvenirs. Or start your own Canadian Toolkit - a Toonie plus duct tape & WD40 (greatly superior to just the 'stick it or spray it' version, as the coin makes a great screwdriver - soft enough to jam into the top of any steel screw, firm enough to turn it, and big enough to get grip).

 

Or just keep it for your next trip, or when you move here post-Donald/Hilary*

 

*Delete as applicable

Notes you can re-exchange; coins you can keep as souvenirs. Or start your own Canadian Toolkit - a Toonie plus duct tape & WD40 (greatly superior to just the 'stick it or spray it' version, as the coin makes a great screwdriver - soft enough to jam into the top of any steel screw, firm enough to turn it, and big enough to get grip).

 

Or just keep it for your next trip, or when you move here post-Donald/Hilary*

 

*Delete as applicable

 

I like your post.

I'm on an October cruise and our first port stop is in Canada. If you've traveled to Canada did you purchase Canadian $ before you left or did you get money when you were there? How about using US $? Any experiences appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Tom:)

 

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO trbarton:I've used loonies, Canadian money, that have had from prior trips or went to a bank there for an exchange. Some businesses will accept American money. The rate they give you may or may not be that good. Whatever you decide, have a good time. Canada is a great country to visit.

I would use an ATM to get whatever Cdn cash you feel you might need, but personally would only get enough for incidentals. You can use credit card for virtually everything.

 

There will be places that will accept US $ but as others have said the exchange rate will not be very favourable and your change will often be in Cdn.

I was in Vancouver last week. Used a ATM in a Scotiabank to take out $200.

 

My credit union account was debited $156.67 which included a $3.50 Canadian bank fee.

We are going on a 7 day Canada/New England cruise this September. We will be in Canada only two days. While there, we will not be buying anything big. So I will use my Capital One Credit card for $10+ purchases (no fee) and US cash for something small like a soda, etc... If you think you will be going on another Canadian cruise or staying in Canada for another vacation, get a larger amount ($50-100) in Canadian cash and save what you don't use. The exchange rate is great now and you're buying Canadian $$ at a discount. Bank ATMs usually have the best rate. You will probably pay 10% commission to your bank if you buy before you go.

Not looking to start a big controversy here, but perhaps US citizens should understand that many Canadian stores will accept US$, although perhaps not at an advantageous exchange rate.

 

As a Canadian, traveling in the US, if we attempted to pay for something in our currency we would be laughed out of most business establishments. If we were paying in cash we have had servers throw a fit over a Cdn penny. In more than one instance we had people in a US business spit on our currency (literally).

 

When travelling abroad we always buy some local currency. Is there some reason why Americans should feel they should receive special treatment?

When travelling abroad we always buy some local currency. Is there some reason why Americans should feel they should receive special treatment?

 

I have never understood the idea that many Americans have that the world should take American currency and/or that everyone should speak English.

 

To the original poster, I always have local currency when I travel. It means some planning ahead of time to order local currency from my bank, and I might not get the best exchange rates, but that is the price I am willing to pay to make life easier in other countries.

 

I have had problems with credit cards being accepted in other countries so I make sure to have cash for all necessary purchases -- food and transportation, and depending on the country, hotel charges -- and if the credit card is declined for souvenirs, I'll be happy with my photos and memories.

Edited June 15, 2016 by ellieanne

Another thing to add to this, Americans looking to pay for anything in US currency - keep in mind that you will NOT get USD back as change. The conversion is usually done automatically, and you get the equivalent change back in Canadian dollars. So you will still end up with Canadian currency when it's all said and done. It still to this day boggles my mind how many people don't understand this concept.