Canadian Currency

Hey us Rednecks even have internal flushing toilets now ya know!

All joking aside ....... we always carry US$ cash when we are down in the USA in case one of our cards got compromised, as it has or the card system was down, which has occurred at a gas station a couple of times. I'd strongly consider always carrying a certain amount of the currency of the country I'm visiting just in case.

Some small towns with mom and pop type stores, or farmers markets you might visit may still be a cash only deal, but it is pretty rare in today's age. There are still a lot of Canadians that have never ventured south of the border to realize the worth of a US dollar or familiar with current rate exchanges.

We rarely carry more than a twenty dollar bill with us locally in Alberta but more when we travel across the country in the RV. Thunder Bay Ontario gas station had to pay cash when their system was down for a fuel fill of the RV a while back. Because we don't have to pay upfront for our gas we didn't know until after pumping $300 of fuel and went inside to pay

Also as a consideration, the dollar exchange right now is in your favour by 20%+/- so might not be a bad idea irrespective. If you don't use it all and the rate drops back to close to par ...........

Another thing here, we have all chipped and pins for our credit cards now so you might need to have one of those, although at markets some of the vendors use the square or on their cell phones and swipe our cards still I noticed. They won't do this for a $2 pop though!

c.traveler2 wrote:
I'm asking from those who have been through Canada, should one carry some Canadian currency, my concern is that running into a place that won't accept US dollars and don't accept credit or debt card. This will be our first trip through Canada on the way to Alaska.

If you are just "Passing through" you could probably get by without Canadian currency but it would be wise to have a small amount with you, even if it's just to stop at McDonalds!
Most places accept US debit/credit cards but there is no guarantee.
Asking them to accept "Foreign" currency could be interpreted as rude. And if they do, expect to take a bath on their exchange calculations!
Imagine trying to use Canadian currency at your local stores! Only last week I even had one fish a Canadian nickel out of a pile of change saying "We can't accept that". Well, I got from a US store somewhere!
Where to get it? Most ATMs will accept your US bank card.
Or you can stop at a currency exchange booth just after you cross the border. Most crossings have one.

When we passed through we didn't worry about any Canadian currency. Figured we'd use an ATM machine if we needed it, but never had to.

Bill

What would you tell a Canadian traveling in the US?

Yes it is always nice to have cash but not necessary.

One should carry Canadian currency, at least enough to fill your truck with fuel. It isn't uncommon for the networks to fail, for various reasons, which means no one's credit or debit card will work.

I've been in Whitehorse on several occasions when the machines were down and it was cash only, so I also carry enough to grocery shop when I'm in the city.

One trip out, Toad River on the Alaska Hwy in northern B.C. had no phone or internet working. To get fuel, it was cash only or wait for the systems to get back online. We had enough cash to fill up and carry on.

c.traveler2 wrote:
I'm asking from those who have been through Canada, should one carry some Canadian currency, my concern is that running into a place that won't accept US dollars and don't accept credit or debt card. This will be our first trip through Canada on the way to Alaska.

Canada has really come a longways, they even have ATMs now, the CC companies do the conversion automatically. really !