American Dollars

When in Rome - do what the Romans do! I would not expect any American business to accept my Canadian $'s when I travel. It is not that difficult to exchange to the proper currency. At the moment the US $ is worth about 4 cents more than Canadian $. Good for Americans coming to Canada - not so good for Canadians going to US.

It can be quite difficult to get Canadian dollars in a US bank, they often have to order them and their rate is normally quite a bit higher than to buy the Canadian dollars here in Canada.
I used to work at a bank near the border and often had to do comparisons.
In any event, I think it is preferable to use the currency of the country you are visiting.

Sounds like a hassle to me. Why not keep it simple and get some CDN$ before you arrive and just change any leftover back to US$ when you get home. Also Canada does not use pennies anymore.

If you plan on using the showers at the campground make sure you have some Loonies. The bronze one dollar coin. Then there's Twonooies, the $2 silver with bronze insert coin.

Just exchange some money at the border bank and swap it back out when you come back.

Most Canadian retailers will accept US dollar; but, they're required to give your change in Canadian funds. The exchange rate you get paying with US dollars probably won't be that great at the end of the day because they'll round it to the most favourable (for them) 5 or 10 cents per dollar to make the mental math easier.

You may be able to find a currency exchange with a more favourable rate - but, frankly, the 3% offered by your credit card isn't that bad.

My wife is Canadian, and we visit her family often. Our experience is that almost everyplace within a 100 miles or so of the boarder or near any tourist area will take US dollars, apply an exchange rate which varies from place to place, and give you change in Canadian dollars. The best exchange rates - mat least in Ontario - always seem to be at the Beer Store.

We have a credit card and a debit card which we can use in Canada without any upcharge - shop around and you can find them. The bank exchange rates change daily. We use the debit card at Canadian ATM's to get Canadian dollars, and put fuel and other major purchases on the credit card.

Whether or not you get a favorable exchange rate will depend on a number of factors.

The current exchange rate.

How close the business is to a bank, some smaller communities do not have a local bank

How much US funds the business gets

How big a business it is.

Major retailers will offer the best deal, but if the exchange rate is really close they may only accept at Par.

Cash only campgrounds often will not accept U$.

US change will only be accepted at Par, you will not get an exchange rate on it. Keep in mind that US coins may not work in vending machines.

Change is given in Canadian $$

Often large US bills are not accepted. Many retailers have signs saying no $50.00 or $100.00 US bills.

If you are bringing US cash, exchange what you might need once you enter Canada.

Remember accepting U$ is a courtesy, not a legal requirement for Canadian Businesses. Most US businesses unless really close to the border will not accept any Canadian cash.

But, DO NOT EXPECT to receive change from Cdn retailers in US dollars.

Living close to the US boarder and knowing a few retailers most of them if not all will accept US funds , however every place of business has it's own rules that the clerks will go by. Some places will give you a good rate,some will change it at par. You will most likely not get the rates a bank would give you.
Soup