Money-Changing Tips for Canadians

Fokkar

Hey Guys!
Some of you might have already known this, but apparently it's incredibly easy to change Canadian into American... and depending on who you bank with, it's free!

Basically, there are a couple ABM's that will actually dole out American Bills right here in Canada... no need to go to a Currency place.
CIBC (PC Financial too) and Royal Bank are the only two that have an easy to use ABM locator where you can select (gives out US$).

Anywho... just thought I'd let people know. I just found out today and it would've saved me a hassle last year.

If you already knew about this, well, you're a smarter person than I.

tr0tsky

i just go to the money-changing place at Broadway/Granville in Vancouver. Good rates there and it's quick. Use my credit card for most things though, just cuz I hate carrying cash. Exchange is annoying on CC, but oh well.

bardak

Even if this is a stupid point you can only use interact at ABMs store clerks look at you funny when you hand them you debit car

magiic

tr0tsky wrote: »

i just go to the money-changing place at Broadway/Granville in Vancouver. Good rates there and it's quick. Use my credit card for most things though, just cuz I hate carrying cash. Exchange is annoying on CC, but oh well.

Im in the same boat. Im going to bring a bit of cash for stuff that has to be cash or when cash is more convenient (like splitting cab or something) but for the most part Im just going to charge everything and pay it when I get back.

chibidani

CC is good for hotel, gas and food. I'm planning on bringing cash for stuff at the convention centre (yes, i know its "center" in the states). Don't forget to bring some cash so you can donate to Child's Play in exchange for a cookie! (The PAX Cookie Brigade: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=34434&page=6)

RowdyTheDog

bardak wrote: »

Even if this is a stupid point you can only use interact at ABMs store clerks look at you funny when you hand them you debit car

Actually, this was an eye-opener when I first went to PAX in 05. Montreal and many other Canadian cities participated in a huge Interact/Debit project where most store owners have it and therefore it's widespread and dependable. Apparently, in Seattle, it's just used at Bank Machines to get money, and c'est tout.

magiic

That's so weird. Everyone uses debit for pretty much every purchase up here. I've only recently started using my Visa for everything just because I get bonus dollars lol

Qs23

magiic wrote: »

That's so weird. Everyone uses debit for pretty much every purchase up here. I've only recently started using my Visa for everything just because I get bonus dollars lol

Down in MI here, I don't even carry cash anymore, Parking, vending machines, food, etc all take plastic now... and my debit card even has the MasterCard logo on it, so I can use it as credit when they don't accept debit.

adio92

Like said in the two previous posts i live in Bellevue and i don't even carry cash on me. Everywhere excepts debit cards. I bought i 1.50 Slurpee with one. Really you almost get looks for actually having money on you.

The only thing is that some companies (majority of gas stations) get charged for using debit and will ask you to use it as a charge card. If you have the money in your bank it works just like a debit card.

ASimPerson

If you really need cash just use one of the plentiful ATMs here. Make sure to notify your bank you're going abroad first, though, or you could be in for a surprise.

chibidani

I'm not sure if its changed, but a few years ago I went down to Bellingham & Burlington to do some shopping for my wedding. The clerks I encountered knew what a debit card was, but couldn't accept it because it was from a Canadian banking institution, and its used slightly different encoding.

GeeCee

Canadian Interac/debit cards will not work in the USA except at bank machines, because the Interac network is entirely separate from the credit card network. In the USA, debit cards operate on the same network that regular credit cards work on, and will have the Visa or Mastercard logo on them.

Our Interac cards will work in SOME bank machines in the US, but not all of them. And there are extra fees for using them. If you look at the back of the card, you'll see the logos you can look for. As an example, my Vancity debit card can be used for: AccuLink, Plus, Accel, and Interac. Plus is most common in the USA. You are better off getting cash up here first though generally

If you have friends or family that work at a bank, check with them to see if they can get you a good rate.