Canadian dollars

[boaterette]

Hi need some help. Do I have to get Canadian dollars for my stay in Vancouver or can I use american dollars. Thank you for the help.

[Sailorgirlseattle]

You can use a credit card if you're just there for hotel and dinner. Or, if you plan to spend more money than that, I suggest finding an ATM and withdrawing some Canadian cash when you hit town.

[love2cruiseseattle]

Hi need some help. Do I have to get Canadian dollars for my stay in Vancouver or can I use american dollars. Thank you for the help.

 

I have not ran into any business that does not accept US currency. But the exchange rate may not be as good as if you were to change your US currency over to Canadian before you leave the states.

[IFLYNRV1]

My bank charges a 5 dollar fee everytime i use an atm in the US (i'm from toronto)...so keep in mind that you don't wanna keep going to the atm to withdrawl 20 bucks, i'd suggest just using the cc..the bank will give you the best exchange rate of the day...and keep a small amount of cdn dollars for cabs / coffee etc

[Ephraim]

Most businesses will accept US dollars, but generally with horrible exchange rates. I've seen them as low as par!

 

There are a number of other choices. You can pay with credit card, most American credit cards are the same as ours, the exception being discover which isn't accepted almost anywhere. You can get American Express traveler's cheques in CAD. You can also get an American Express Traveler's Card. You can use that at ATMs and withdraw cash. And it can be used at stores just like an American Express card.

 

Most banks charge a fee for using their ATM, but your bank will usually give you a better exchange rate at an ATM. Check your credit card company to see what they charge for a foreign currency transaction, some cards charge an extra fee, though I have been told that BofA has an excellent rate and no fee.

 

Change is always dealt with at par. So a US Quarter is worth a Canadian Quarter. Remember that we do not have dollar or two dollar bills anymore, they are all coins.

 

To see a currency exchange rate, easily, use Google. Type in:

 

1 USD in CAD

 

or

 

1 CAD in USD

 

Or any other amount. And if you wondered how to convert our price for gasoline, it is:

 

.94 CAD per liter in USD per gallon

 

Don't be shocked... we pay a lot more for gasoline because of the taxes and surcharges. For example, in Montreal we pay an extra 1.5c on each litre to pay for public transport.

[boaterette]

Thank you for the replies everyone.