Canada cruise - currency

[davy jones]

We are taking the Triumph to Saint John and Halifax and have a question for those who have already been there.

 

Is it best to take along some Canadian currency to spend while in ports? Can we exchange currency in port? However, we will be at Saint John on a holiday, so banks will probably be closed.

 

Do merchants accept US currency some kind of exchange rate, or do they do it at 1 for 1?

[trock]

We are taking the Triumph to Saint John and Halifax and have a question for those who have already been there.

 

Is it best to take along some Canadian currency to spend while in ports? Can we exchange currency in port? However, we will be at Saint John on a holiday, so banks will probably be closed.

 

Do merchants accept US currency some kind of exchange rate, or do they do it at 1 for 1?

 

 

Most of the merchants we purchased from in the tents at the pier took US Dollars.. at the shops in town we used credit cards.. and no it is not one for one :)

[Maraprince]

We are taking the Triumph to Saint John and Halifax and have a question for those who have already been there.

 

Is it best to take along some Canadian currency to spend while in ports? Can we exchange currency in port? However, we will be at Saint John on a holiday, so banks will probably be closed.

 

Do merchants accept US currency some kind of exchange rate, or do they do it at 1 for 1?

 

 

Halifax will accept any and all currency.

 

If you plan to take a local bus or purchase something under $5 dollars, suggest you take about $20 Canadian . This should be more than enough to cover both ports. Anything else can be put on a credit card.

 

If you pay in US dollars, merchants will try to give you US paper change if they have it. If you are due coins, they will most probably be Canadian.

 

Current rate of exchange favors US dollars so you will actually be paying less.

 

MARAPRINCE

[sapper1]

Most merchants in Saint John will accept US dollars at a fair rate of exchange, although it will be less than the banks will offer. Even if it is a bank holiday the bank ATM machines are usually available and will dispense Canadian twenty dollar bills.

You will most likely get your change back in Canadian dollars. For example if your purchase costs $10.00 Canadian, using a 1.23 exchange rate for example, and you pay with a $20.00 US bill, they will value your US bill at $22.46 Canadian and give you back $12.46 Canadian in change.

The exchange rate is just an example as it varies from day to day.

When you get home you can exchange your Canadian bills at your own bank but they will give you less than you paid for them as that is how the banks make their money. We have one and two dollar coins called loonies and toonies, respectively. Since banks do not handle coin the trick is to not leave Canada with more than $4.99 in coin as you will be stuck with it. Our paper currency starts with the five dollar bill.

 

With a credit card you will pay the stated Canadian price and your cc company will make the adjustment on your monthly statement.

 

Our currency is brightly coloured ----sort of like Monopoly money:D

[hillorama]

We are taking the Triumph to Saint John and Halifax and have a question for those who have already been there.

 

Is it best to take along some Canadian currency to spend while in ports? Can we exchange currency in port? However, we will be at Saint John on a holiday, so banks will probably be closed.

 

Do merchants accept US currency some kind of exchange rate, or do they do it at 1 for 1?

 

There are ATMs everywhere and a good exchange rate from them.

[cwiggy]

they will definitely accept USD. You can use oanda.com for the daily conversion (USD - CDN or vise versa) rate that most credit card companies use, although they of course tack on an extra fee after conversion. Enjoy your trip!;)

[Casino Player]

We are taking the Triumph to Saint John and Halifax and have a question for those who have already been there.

 

Is it best to take along some Canadian currency to spend while in ports? Can we exchange currency in port? However, we will be at Saint John on a holiday, so banks will probably be closed.

 

Do merchants accept US currency some kind of exchange rate, or do they do it at 1 for 1?

 

You could exchange currency while in port. Most merchants in tourist areas will accept US dollars. Last year when I was in Halfax I ran out of Canadian money and paid part in US dollars and got back Canadian money change.

[momjkm]

but I have to ask--- how do I get canadian money before getting to Halifax or Saint John? On the ship? at my local US bank, how??

[Putterdude]

If you live in a large city or close to the border your bank may have CDN funds for exchange or will get them in for you. The Pax Service desk aboard your ship will also generally have CDN funds for exchange.

[Shipshape7]

We were on last week's Triumph cruise to Saint John and Halifax. In both ports everyone took U.S. currency with no problem BUT most merchants took it 1 for 1 (which is in their favor) and only wanted to give change in Canadian money. I charged most things but ended up wishing I'd brought some Canadian with me.

[DanJ]

When we did this cruise in 2001, the vendors at the pier had everything listed in US prices. They were surprised when I pulled out my Canadian money, and then my Canadian debit card. I said "hey there are 6 of us on this cruise, not everyone is American" LOL.

 

I'm not really surprised most places are treating the dollars as par, since they are close enough in true value, that by the time the banks take their cut, there isn't a lot left anyway. I suspect that if someone was going to a retailer to make a larger dollar amount purchase, like jewelry or a digital camera or something, they would get closer to the 10% rate they should get.

[davy jones]

My experience varied last week. Everyone accepted US currency, some at par, some at 5%, some at 10%. Most gave Canadian change, but some even attempted to give change in US. We were not spending enough to make it a big deal. If I went through my own currency exchange, there would have been fees anyway. I viewed it as a convenience charge.

 

At the Maritime museum in Halifax, the clerk was trying to give me change in US. I asked her for a loonie and a toonie and she was puzzled. When I told here that our children wanted some Canadian coins she understood.

[Ephraim]

Sapper.... what year did you last see that exchange rate?

 

The current exchange rate is around

1 U.S. dollar = 1.16510058 Canadian dollars

 

You can easily check the rate by going to http://www.google.com/search?q=1+usd+in+cad

 

You can expect that merchants will give you anywhere from par (ie 0%) to 10% premium on the US dollar. Essentially it's a convenience charge. They likely have to take it to the bank and the bank will charge them a fee to convert it back to CAD. (My bank not only charges me a fee for converting USD it also charges me a fee to deposit cash!)

 

If they have small bills they will give you back US small bills, but don't expect to get back US funds, just be glad if they do have some to give you back. It's impossible for us to get US coins and even small bills can be difficult to get in large quantities.

[sapper1]

Sapper.... what year did you last see that exchange rate?

 

The current exchange rate is around

1 U.S. dollar = 1.16510058 Canadian dollars

 

You can easily check the rate by going to http://www.google.com/search?q=1+usd+in+cad

 

You can expect that merchants will give you anywhere from par (ie 0%) to 10% premium on the US dollar. Essentially it's a convenience charge. They likely have to take it to the bank and the bank will charge them a fee to convert it back to CAD. (My bank not only charges me a fee for converting USD it also charges me a fee to deposit cash!)

 

If they have small bills they will give you back US small bills, but don't expect to get back US funds, just be glad if they do have some to give you back. It's impossible for us to get US coins and even small bills can be difficult to get in large quantities.

I never said that the merchants give the same rate as a bank nor did I indicate what the rate would be. Of course they have to cover their expenses. Having said that, the merchants in uptown Saint John make an effort not to gouge the tourists on the exchange rate and offer what they consider fair exchange. Many of them display a card on the counter which indicates the rate being paid that day.

There are several banks in uptown Saint John where people can exchange their dollars at a better rate than depending on the store rates.

 

 

The example exchange rate I gave was to show the method that the merchants use when calculating. That is why I said "example" and not "this is the rate".

I am sorry if I was misleading. I paid $1.20 for US dollars yesterday but as we know the rate changes from day to day.

[Ephraim]

It's all good! I haven't paid exchange in quite a while. I keep a US account. But with the official exchange rate being around 1.16 that's quite a clip that your bank is taking. Did they give you the cheque or the cash rate?

 

The merchants in Montreal aren't as giving... expect less than 10% premium.

[Mr & Mrs Canada]

(1) ATMs are everywhere. (2) Everyone takes American, although the exchange may not be great. But then again, ATMs charge too. No need to worry or hassle with buying CAD ahead of time. USe US or ATMS.

[PennyAgain]

Some of the ATM's in the tourist areas don't take US debit cards. There are signs on the machines.

[lovemylab]

I worked and lived near the Halifax waterfront for quite a few years. Most merchants/restaurants will accept US cash however don't be surprised if your change is returned in CAD dollars.

 

The exchange rate given by a vendor is often not favorable. If you are planning to do a lot of spending, you may be better off going to an ATM or using your credit card.

 

If you do plan to use US cash I would advise taking some small bills to minimize the amount of CAD cash being returned to you.