Canadian Money

[giraffenana]

We are doing a New England/Canada cruise and will have 4 Canadian ports. They are St. John, Halifax, Sydney and Charlottetown, Price Edward Island. We have ship excursions booked in all buy Sydney. Will we need to get Canadian $$ or can we use U.S. $$$

 

Joy

[Shelli]

Our last Canadian cruise was 10 years ago (already! how is that possible??), but at that time, we used our credit cards pretty much exclusively in port, as we were told we'd get the best exchange rate that way. If I recall correctly, though, most stores accepted US$.

[uppitycats]

You'd do best to use your credit card, or get Canadian bills through using an ATM. If you go only to the most touristy shops they'll likely accept American bills, but if you try to shop somewhere less touristy, they'll be unhappy with you.

[alwalaska]

If you are going to use charge cards for souvenirs or a tour, make sure they do not charge fees for using the credit card out of the country.

 

I have credit cards with several different banks and the only one that does not charge fees is Capital One. I received a decent exchange rate from them and no fees.

 

If you local bank is link mine, DO NOT get Canadian cash from them. I ended up paying ridiculous fees.

 

Most stores will take American dollars, but from my experience, they give you a 1 to 1 exchange. Also, although it was not in cruise ports, we did have a few locations that were not happy about taking our US cash.

[OracleBones]

Getting your Canadian dollars through an ATM or using your credit card will be best. As USD are becoming less valuable as each day goes by, local shops will charge you a premium on the exchange rate. Besides, CND look nicer and come in an assortment of colours. Enjoy your Canadian ports of call.

[Springwater21]

i've noticed most large stores have their cash registers set to accommodate US dollars. US dollars are usually accepted in port cities. We are 3 hours north east of Niagara Falls and our stores take US dollars..Just don't try using the Canadian money in the US..they seem to push it back to you. Credit cards are best, even your debit card will possibly work. If you do give US money, your change will be in Canadian, more than llikely coins..we seem to carry lots of them around.. Have fun on your trip. Dona

[Shelli]

Most stores will take American dollars, but from my experience, they give you a 1 to 1 exchange.

 

Not a bad deal, because as of just now when I checked, 1.00 USD = 1.03227 CAD. So, no biggie!

[cruisinskier]

Not a bad deal, because as of just now when I checked, 1.00 USD = 1.03227 CAD. So, no biggie!

 

I wouldn't count on a 1:1 exchange or even something close to that. We live not far from the border and are back and forth between Canada and the U.S. regularly. You will pay a premium on the exchange rates at most stores, sometimes upwards of a 10% premium. Best to either get the cash from an ATM / Bank or use your credit card as others have suggested.

 

Enjoy your time in Eastern Canada!

[emcelh]

I just returned from this cruise and US currency is accepted everywhere. I used a credit card for purchases though because some stores would only give you change in Canadian currency. Check before you pay.

[Ontario cruise duo]

I will verify as others have already posted that when spending American $$ in Canada, I don't know of any store that won't take it. They however, will most likely give you your change in Canadian $$ even though you may not really want it. As others have stated, it is best to use your charge card or get a small amount of Canadian $$ for using in Canada. If you take Canadian $$ back to the U.S., your banks will most likely not give you the going rate to convert your $$ back into U.S. funds. I might add that when we occasionally shop in the U.S. they won't even take our Canadian bills, let alone a Canadian penny or nickel!! We always get U.S. $$ before leaving for a vacation or shopping trip to the U.S.

[Urban trekker]

The official currency in Canada is the Canadian $$$ and the only currency that a merchant is legally required to accept.

 

While the US $$$ is readily accepted in the larger cities and the border communities it is done so as a favor not because it is required.

 

I can`t use Caandian $$$ in US Cities so be a good tourist and exchange your $$$.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[emosewa]

I live close to the border and it is my advice to use your credit card you will get the best daily rate from your cc company. If you ask your bank, most us banks (and canadian banks) have banks on either side of the border that are linked with eachother, and do not charge atm fees or they are minimal. Get out a few bucks at a linking atm.

emosewa ;)

[Silvermist]

And if you do pay with US $$, be patient. If the store does give an exchange rate rather than accepting it at par, the clerks are not normally trained in how to do that procedure on their cash register. I live close the the US border so when the exchange rate favoured American shoppers they would come up to shop. When I was given US $$ at my old job, we had to push in different codes to get the exchange rate and since it's not something we did frequently, it was something that needed to be looked up or done by a manager/customer service person with more extensive training.

 

One more thing to consider: Most stores do not offer as good of an exchange rate as banks or credit cards. And yes, you'll be given change in Canadian money because American money is not "legal tender" in Canada. We don't get any American money in our floats, so likely all we would have is the money you just gave us.

 

Like others said, exchanging your money for a small quantity of Canadian $$ or a credit card makes everything a lot easier.

[sadiecat]

My DH goes to Canada frequently they take US $ and change in Canadian.