First Time Traveling Through Canada.

Was this originally actually a question regarding the availability of gas in Canada?? Wow.

Thanks.... So I guess the rule of thumb would be "Nothing Fowl" crosses either boarder........

The egg thing is also for going back into the US. Don't take eggs or chicken or it might be confiscated. I say might because we had frozen chicken in our freezer and after some cogitating and questions we were able to take it with us with a warning going into the States.

edbehnke wrote:
YES FOR FUEL, RELAX.

spend a little time in Sault Ste Marie and eat white fish and buy some pasties...love them.

as for campgrounds just do a google search or use your gps, not a problem.


enjoy the beautful old cities.

Make sure your GPS has Canadian maps loaded. Mine didn't and I couldn't use it.
Also, at the border crossing we had to dump the frozen raw chicken we had in the freezer. Luckily we had used up the last of the eggs that morning. They're worried about possible avian flu entering the country. I guess Canada Geese are immune.:)

JackD wrote:
Today, if an in-store transaction is conducted using a counterfeit, stolen or otherwise compromised card, consumer losses from that transaction fall back on the payment processor or issuing bank, depending on the card's terms and conditions.
Starting sometime in the fall (October 30th??), the cost of a fraud done through anon-chipped card will fall back on the merchant..... which quite an ''incentive'' to get rid of the old swipe- card-technology a.s.a.p.

I was told that exact thing today by a Representative at Pentagon Federal, who's cards have been chipped for at least 2yrs... Also our new Discover Cards are chipped.....

Today, if an in-store transaction is conducted using a counterfeit, stolen or otherwise compromised card, consumer losses from that transaction fall back on the payment processor or issuing bank, depending on the card's terms and conditions.
Starting sometime in the fall (October 30th??), the cost of a fraud done through anon-chipped card will fall back on the merchant..... which quite an ''incentive'' to get rid of the old swipe- card-technology a.s.a.p.

docj wrote:

JackD wrote:

For the benefit of first-time travelers to Canada it is worth noting that your US debit cards won't work as debit cards at retail stores but they will work fine as VISA or MasterCard cards

More and more businesses in Canada have switched to ''chipped card readers'' only and have abandoned the old mag stripe/signature system used in the United States.
Some American tavelers may have trouble using their credit card in some commercial facilities that don't recognize cards that don't have a chip

It is true that all Canadian cards appear to be chipped, but every reader I've encountered has had a swipe slot as well as a chip reader. I've never had a problem using an unchipped US card and this is experience based on many months of traveling in Canada over the past 4+ years.

Actually my local IGA grocery store has chip only readers, they will not read a non-chip card; the scanning system is no longer active.

As Jack D indicated many places are moving to chip only technology without scan capability.

JackD wrote:

For the benefit of first-time travelers to Canada it is worth noting that your US debit cards won't work as debit cards at retail stores but they will work fine as VISA or MasterCard cards

More and more businesses in Canada have switched to ''chipped card readers'' only and have abandoned the old mag stripe/signature system used in the United States.
Some American tavelers may have trouble using their credit card in some commercial facilities that don't recognize cards that don't have a chip

It is true that all Canadian cards appear to be chipped, but every reader I've encountered has had a swipe slot as well as a chip reader. I've never had a problem using an unchipped US card and this is experience based on many months of traveling in Canada over the past 4+ years.

For the benefit of first-time travelers to Canada it is worth noting that your US debit cards won't work as debit cards at retail stores but they will work fine as VISA or MasterCard cards

More and more businesses in Canada have switched to ''chipped card readers'' only and have abandoned the old mag stripe/signature system used in the United States.
Some American tavelers may have trouble using their credit card in some commercial facilities that don't recognize cards that don't have a chip

Yeah, you certainly don't need to try to bypass the Queensway in Ottawa. Travelling east you only need to really worry about morning rush hour. Trying to bypass using the 416 and Hunt Club will only result in you using much more gas. Way too many lights, Hunt Club is not a highway, and a couple of stretches get equally congested bumper to bumper during rush hour anyway.