Just a tip for Americans visiting Canada

[trilinearmipmap]

Please don't be offended but with the rush of cruise passengers in town there is an issue which comes up again and again.

 

When you are in a foreign country, that country will have a different kind of currency (money) than your own country. As a courtesy to you, some stores and businesses will accept American money but you will receive change in the local currency.

 

If you want to avoid this (who wants to bring another country's money home with them?) then use your credit card to pay, you will get a better exchange rate that way anyhow and you won't have to worry about getting change back.

 

All the stores in town have signs saying "we accept American currency but give change in Canadian currency". Don't yell at the store clerk, it is not her fault.

 

When I go to Florida for my cruise I don't expect the stores to accept Canadian money and give me back change in Canadian money. Just a tip.

[cruiseryyc]

Excellent advice and I couldn't agree more.

[BigBlue120]

Yup. A great reminder.

 

 

 

We tend to go with using the CC whenever possible on short visits (or at the end when we've used all our "change" up).

[imogene]

You can also use debit if you don't mind paying the international bank fees.

[Illiad]

All the stores in town have signs saying "we accept American currency but give change in Canadian currency". Don't yell at the store clerk, it is not her fault.

 

Sadly, I doubt your message will reach most of the folks who need an attitude readjustment. They're the kind of tourists who demand everything must be done their way and if you don't understand English they'll just repeat themselves louder and slower.

 

Speaking as a Canadian, I find Americans by and large to be very friendly, interesting and understanding people. It's the disgusting 1% or so that give their other countrymen a bad rep.

[trilinearmipmap]

I think most of them are great.

 

On our last two cruises we were seated at tables full of Americans. They were great company and we were glad to meet them. We had actually been dreading meeting our tablemates given the stereotypes we had thought were true.

 

A few times traveling abroad I have seen outrageously bad behaviour by Americans. Although perhaps only one out of a thousand is like this, they reflect badly on all the others.

[cruiseryyc]

I've also seen outrageously bad behaviour by Canadians. Unfortunately every country has a few "ugly tourists" that travel abroad and give their home country a bad name.