Heading on NE / Canada cruise. $ question

[em-sk]

2 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

No way!!  Who would be stupid enough to fall for that?

 

If I was running a stand selling coffee that is what I would do. 

 

That at least recovers the fees that bank is going to charge to deposit foreign currency into a business account.   

[PATRLR]

10 hours ago, JustAPilot said:

We also all live in Igloos and ride polar bears to work in Canada. 

Now that's just silly, everyone knows you can't ride polar bears.

[bookbabe]

10 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

No way!!  Who would be stupid enough to fall for that?

As a guess, a lot of American tourists who don’t bother to exchange their money for local currency before a vacation and then find something they absolutely have to have someplace that doesn’t accept credit cards for their particular transaction amount?  Like em-sk’s example of a coffee shop, many merchants will have a minimum limit for credit card transactions.  Or, some merchants only accept either Visa or MasterCard but not other cards.  

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by bookbabe

[graphicguy]

Didn’t have any issues using U.S currency in Vancouver on the way to Alaska.

 

But, as others have said, best thing to do is to use your credit card.  That way you let the banks apply the exchange rates, and you’ll not get ripped off.

 

In an emergency, even in Europe, I never had issues using U.S. $$$$.  Didn’t get a favorable transaction rate.  But, I was able to use dollars.  I was even able to use U.S. dollars at a small gelato store in Palermo.

[Snowrose]

We got off a NE cruise the other week. We live in Canada and work with the exchange rate often. While there, I saw a shop treating $4 American like it was $4.75CAD. That's an exchange rate of about 1.19 when it should be about 1.36 per US dollar, right now.

 

$4US should be about $5.45CAD.

 

And yes, even though we don't use cash at home we still carried some Canadian cash to use in small shops that might not take a debit card.

Edited September 25, 2022 by Snowrose

[Sailing12Away]

It all depends on where you go and what you want to buy. At the Moosehead brewery, they took US$ but gave any change back in Canadian coins, and again, the exchange rate was whatever worked out to easy math for them so you could get back whole amounts. So your 3 pints that would have cost you 18 CAD (~$14 US) is now going to cost you $18 US so that they can give you back $3 CAD from your US $20.

 

If you're not making a lot of purchases and don't care about being overcharged $1-2 for each small purchase, then go ahead and use whatever you want. But for us, with the amount of purchases we made it worked out to an extra 'free' 6 pack of beers we brought home by just using either our credit card or the Canadian money we brought with us. The little overcharges add up over time, and with some of the smaller mom & pop shops they didn't let you use a credit card unless the amount was over a certain limit. So for the homemade dog bone we bought for our pooch, and the kit kat donut we wanted to try - it was cash or bust.

 

My parents were with us on this most recent Canada cruise and they were typical ignorant americans and assumed that everyone would take their US$. We gave them $100 of our Canadian money to tip their guides and for making small purchases while on excursions. Good thing too because one of the stops they had they went to get some food and the credit card machine wasn't working. 

 

Call me crazy, but I just prefer to tip guides in their local currency. 

[em-sk]

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

It all depends on where you go and what you want to buy. At the Moosehead brewery, they took US$ but gave any change back in Canadian coins, and again, the exchange rate was whatever worked out to easy math for them so you could get back whole amounts. So your 3 pints that would have cost you 18 CAD (~$14 US) is now going to cost you $18 US so that they can give you back $3 CAD from your US $20.

 

 

 

You should always expect change back in local currency .   Most retailers are only going to have one cash drawer on their register.  They are not going to be setup to give change in foreign currency.   If they get any US$ is going to go into the bottom of the door for the back office to deal with at the end of the day.

 

The only place I have ever seen a retail setup to give change in more than one currency are some of the airports in Europe where they will have a drawer for each currency they are working with.

 

 

 

 

[Cruising Lynne]

18 hours ago, RD64 said:

For some reasons Americans think that their $ will be accepted by everyone in the most remote places on the planet. I can name dozens of places in Italy where nobody has ever seen a US dollar and would not accept one - or a credit card for that matter. Bite the bullet and exchange for some local currency.

 

For those Americans who have military friends / relatives stationed in Aviano, Italy - ask them where exactly in Friuli their American dollars are accepted?

I don't think that, but most cruise ports I have been to do accept US dollars.

[Coachyo]

Wait, where can I ride Polar Bears?!  🐻‍❄️

 

Thanks for the responses.   I figure I'll get a few CAD before we go.   I'd rather save a few bucks and leave any extra "change" for our last place we spend our CAD.

 

I'll be on the look out for a custom made Polar bear saddle.  🤣

[phillygwm]

On 9/23/2022 at 6:56 PM, Coachyo said:

Should I get Canadian money for whien we are in port for meals, excursions and tips?

If so where is best place to get it? Home before hand or in port?

 

As others have stated, you don't NEED to get CAD but if you expect to pay cash you can hit an ATM and get a better rate than you would by exchanging USD somewhere.  I was in Montreal a few months ago and got $100.  I still have some of that which will cover me for small expenses where card isn't accepted.

 

A card with a 0% transaction fee is best.  You'll get the optimal exchange rate and won't have extra Canadian cash.  But if you do take cash from an ATM you can always use the excess for tips onboard 🙂

 

Edited September 28, 2022 by phillygwm

[Spudd]

The vast, vast majority of places accept credit these days, especially post-pandemic. Visa/MC most accepted, Amex somewhat accepted, the rest you will probably have trouble.

[luckyinpa]

last week at the st john market the woman at the stand told the couple in front of us she cant give american change which makes sense. she did not say, nor was asked, if any type of exchange rate would be in effect. but you can see for some potential of mixed expectations here

 

the woman said my gf can use her CC but it was just for 4 bucks so she felt weird but did it. 

 

also another thing to be aware of is the coinage for canada.  i dislike carrying 1 and 2 dollar coins but they are great for souvenirs 

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by luckyinpa

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

the woman said my gf can use her CC but it was just for 4 bucks so she felt weird but did it. 

Why did it feel "weird?"

[kylenyc]

Stores that accept USD cash will have the exchange rate on a piece of paper taped it to the register. As other said, it's usually poor to account for daily currency fluctuations. 

 

If you can, bring a credit card that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.

Given the strong USD, use a credit card regardless. You'll get a better exchange rate. Not too long ago the exchange rate was $1.25 and now it's up around $1.35. Enjoy the fact you're getting more for your dollar in Canada. Even with a 3% credit card foreign transaction fee you're coming out ahead.

 

If you're in some rare situation where you need cash, just take it out with your ATM card. Be sure to notify your bank before you travel just like you would notify your credit card company.

Edited September 30, 2022 by kylenyc

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 minutes ago, kylenyc said:

Stores that accept USD will have the exchange rate on a piece of paper taped it to the register.

 

4 minutes ago, kylenyc said:

Enjoy the fact you're getting more for your dollar in Canada.

If the stores all have the exchange rates taped to their registers, why are you getting more for your US dollar?

[kylenyc]

7 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

 

If the stores all have the exchange rates taped to their registers, why are you getting more for your US dollar?

I've correct my previous post thanks.

 

The exchange rate taped to the register is what you get if you pay in USD cash. You get far less than the prevailing rate like you'd see on Yahoo Finance.

 

The exchange rate you get from a good credit card with no foreign transaction fee is better.

Edited September 30, 2022 by kylenyc

[IronRobi]

As a local to these ports, this thread has made me smile a few times.

 

I'll say this.... the large majority of us don't use cash, especially since the pandemic. There's even many places where they no longer accept cash. So why would anybody visiting here be worried about bringing cash? The majority of us use cards, for literally everything. Big or small. I tap my mastercard for a $1 coffee. So just bring your credit card, your google wallet, apple pay, samsung pay... whatever form of digital currency you want and use it just like you would at home.

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, IronRobi said:

As a local to these ports, this thread has made me smile a few times.

 

I'll say this.... the large majority of us don't use cash, especially since the pandemic. There's even many places where they no longer accept cash. So why would anybody visiting here be worried about bringing cash? The majority of us use cards, for literally everything. Big or small. I tap my mastercard for a $1 coffee. So just bring your credit card, your google wallet, apple pay, samsung pay... whatever form of digital currency you want and use it just like you would at home.

Yep.  It's the same everywhere.  I haven't paid cash for anything for as long as I can remember.  Why would I do anything different when I'm "out of town?"

[PATRLR]

11 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

the woman said my gf can use her CC but it was just for 4 bucks so she felt weird but did it. 

 

10 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Why did it feel "weird?"

I'm sure there was a time when it seemed weird to me but I'm at the point where I don't carry cash, I don't even carry a wallet.  So there have been many times I've used a CC for something as small as a dollar or so.  Doesn't feel weird to me.

(OK, I'm lying a bit, I have one $20 bill folded in the case of my phone for emergencies.  But it's a hassle to get it and I can't remember the last time I had to use it)

[IronRobi]

18 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yep.  It's the same everywhere.  I haven't paid cash for anything for as long as I can remember.  Why would I do anything different when I'm "out of town?"

That's exactly my point! Some countries where they aren't as advanced technologically, I can see needing some cash. But that certainly isn't the case here in Canada.

 

11 hours ago, PATRLR said:

 

I'm sure there was a time when it seemed weird to me but I'm at the point where I don't carry cash, I don't even carry a wallet.  

I'm the exact same way. I haven't had my wallet physically with me in like 2 years. There's less than a handful of times where I've had to run back to the car and dig out my mastercard because their terminal didn't accept tap. Cash feels so foreign now.

[CruizinKittie40]

I like using USD to bring back Canadian money as souvenirs