Ready cash

Sue Henry's books LOL!! :)

I started collecting them from used book sales the previous years with a plan of reading them along our summer trip. I didn't have time to open one! Too much Alaskan stuff in person to do.

I did read them all afterward and it was neat to visualize where the story took place as we'd been there.

Well now Sue Henry has written a number of novels about the trials of the Alcan including theft, murder and mayhem.

Gosh, the risk of being robbed for my cash has never occurred to me around here. That's a good thing...

I'm more worried about a bear getting into the BBQ or a squirrel stealing my snacks on the picnic table.

From a security standpoint, We prefer to do all small purchases{less than 50 $} in cash. This greatly reduces the number of places that have a continuing access to my credit card account. The probability of credit card theft is much higher than a stickup. Esp if the rest of you travelers are well known for carrying min cash and the thieves believe its not worth the effort.

I carry sufficient amounts of local currency to avoid getting taken on the exchange rate, but the dollar is almost as well accepted as the looney.

I traveled extensively in the middle east and far east for 20 years and used the same approach there

X2!!!

Dah Golly!! All Provincial parks on PEI take cash, debit and credit.

amen brother. people need to do some research before listening to people on the net.canadian banking is far ahead of most major countries.

Russell Clifton wrote:
Sorry for the confusion guys. Here is what the BC Parks web site says:
Payment of Fees Check-in and Check-out Times
First-come, first-served campsites.
If arriving at the park on a first-come, first-serve basis, payment can only be made in cash. No personal cheques, bank debit or credit cards are accepted. Canadian currency is preferred.

In most parks, the park facility operator collects camping fees at campsites.
Several of the travel guides say to bring cash in case the bank card machines are down. This corresponds with what others are saying on this site. No one has said anything about the Canadian exchange rate. I just Goggled it and it is one Canadian dollar = .79 US dollar. I think I will stop at the first bank I come to after crossing the border. This will help offset the fee my bank charges
for using their bank cards out of the US.

That is what I've found to be true. Many of those Provincial Parks have no phone service or internet access. So it's cash unless you pay ahead online. Unlike WA where you pay a reservation fee for only the first night and then regular rate thereafter, in BC they add a reservation fee for every night.

rednpat wrote:
a couple questions for those that have done this before: How much ready cash is recommended? How much Canadian cash is recommended? Or do we rely on debit/credit cards with minimal cash on hand?

I carry about 100$ cash in my wallet,just in case the power goes down and couldn't use my debit,which I use for everything..didnt have to touch the cash in about a year..

Was traveling in Tokyo Japan while back and that place being one of the safest places on earth everyone prefers cash,some stores and hotels accept CC of course,,so I had about 500$ which in ¥ is 50.000 making me feel very rich..1000 ¥ btw buys a pretty decent meal..hotel room was 30$ a night..

for subway trains one can buy Suica or Pasmo card and charge it up at every station with whatever amount money one needs,very convenient as all you have to do is swipe it on the gate going in and it displays how much money is left in it,,then swipe again paying for the trip exiting the station..
It can also be used to pay for food and stuff in convenience stores and vending machines,quite an amazing modern technology in that country..
On the other hand
Surprisingly in real estate transactions realtors want cash for some strange reason and
and one can easily withdraw very large amounts even from regular ATM machines..

http://youtu.be/WvVw-GNVfeI

I usually have a hundred or so at home for when I go to Canada but I have found the best places to get cash are at credit unions. I have CU accounts at home and get no service fees that way.

Sorry for the confusion guys. Here is what the BC Parks web site says:
Payment of Fees Check-in and Check-out Times
First-come, first-served campsites.
If arriving at the park on a first-come, first-serve basis, payment can only be made in cash. No personal cheques, bank debit or credit cards are accepted. Canadian currency is preferred.

In most parks, the park facility operator collects camping fees at campsites.
Several of the travel guides say to bring cash in case the bank card machines are down. This corresponds with what others are saying on this site. No one has said anything about the Canadian exchange rate. I just Goggled it and it is one Canadian dollar = .79 US dollar. I think I will stop at the first bank I come to after crossing the border. This will help offset the fee my bank charges for using their bank cards out of the US.