Ready cash

Boy, Canada sounds like a barren land... I'm not sure where or WHEN previous commenters have travelled in Canada but considering I rarely have $20.00 cash in my wallet I would suggest that you will be just fine with Credit/Debit.

Can't speak for the Yukon and maybe small town campgrounds prefer cash, no different than in the U.S. but other campgrounds and gas stations take Credit/Debit. Visa may be preferred , same as down South.

Enjoy the trip!

Gruffy wrote:
Chase Bank here changed over to chipped cards and left all the Canadians stranded. I switched over to Great West Bank, no fees and my cards work. Be ready to last a week at least in case you run into a card acceptance problem.

Could you elaborate on this? Your location looks like Canada but I can't quite tell.

Any debit or credit card I've received in the last 5 years has had a chip on it along with the standard magnetic strip and they have worked all over Canada and anywhere I've been in the US using either method.

Gruffy wrote:
Chase Bank here changed over to chipped cards and left all the Canadians stranded. I switched over to Great West Bank, no fees and my cards work. Be ready to last a week at least in case you run into a card acceptance problem.

????? I have had a Chase Visa card for three years now and it has always been chipped. Never had any problem with it in Canada or the US.

As for the OP's question, you should carry the same amount of cash as you would if you were traveling back home in the US. Why would there be any difference? And since you will be in Canada, it is only common courtesy to carry Canadian currency for use in Canada.

After we cross the border, our first stop is a Canadian bank. We get $300 Canadian. We use public campgrounds and the majority take only cash in their drop box. Some small restaurants only take cash. Also, laundramats, small grocery items, emergency fuel if no credit card option, etc. If you have any left before crossing back into the U.S., spend it on fuel or a restaurant. $300 will be plenty for the whole summer.

We didn't carry more than $300 in U.S. cash either. You can always get more at an ATM.

Visa is widely accepted, not Discover or American Express.

Chase Bank here changed over to chipped cards and left all the Canadians stranded. I switched over to Great West Bank, no fees and my cards work. Be ready to last a week at least in case you run into a card acceptance problem.

Heading across Arizona one time on the interstate we were in a near panic when 3 gas stations in a row could not process credit card transactions. Then the light came on. We actually had cash with us and the problem was solved. Felt pretty stupid being in a panic when we actually had quite a few dollars tucked away.

We now consider maybe a thousand bucks as a comfortable minimum. And it is puzzling how few people actually carry a lot of money with them. I can't think of a single time over a long life time when I ever lost a single dollar from any bad guys or stupidity or such.

We typically keep several hundred dollars in cash whether USA or Canada travelling. Enough to pay for a tank of gas and some groceries "just in case". Split it down and hide it in weird unexpectable places throughout the rig.

Got us out of problems when systems down/not working and not always in low density places either.

We crossed into Alberta on a Sunday. We stayed at a campground in a small town and went to the local fuel station to fill up. Older style pumps and they only took cash or debit. We had our debit card (we contacted the bank before our trip) so we filled up. Went inside to pay and debit card would not work. Because it was a Sunday, we could not get any Canadian money (no bank in town). The clerk let us drive off and go back to the campground to get some US dollars and come back and pay. Because we used US dollars, we ended up paying about $10 more for the fuel but we were relieved that we could pay him at all. Really, the only other time we used Canadian money was at provincial self pay campgrounds and once we just added a couple of ones to add to our Canadian money because we did not have the correct change. The rest of the time we just used our credit cards. We did have a small stash of US dollars with us but them we always have that. If you can get a chipped credit card before you depart on your trip, you will like using that much better. You can swipe and pay at your table when dining out. They will be in the US before the end of the year.

Provincial Parks only take cash unless you reserve online. It is pretty rude to try to get them to take American since we don't accept Canadian isn't it?? I carry $200-300 if I'm going to be out of town for a while, otherwise credit cards and ATM suffices.

My DW and I each try to have about $200CAN on us when we travel in Canada; as others have pointed out the systems go down sometimes and cash is the only way to pay for things. And you may stop at a farmers market or buy some fish, etc at a roadside stand. Last year we purchased some scallops from a young man selling out of the back of his pickup near Kitimat BC, they were super fresh and tasted wonderful. And we feel safer in Canada than many places in the US from pickpockets or muggers, so having cash on yourself is no problem.