Need For Canadian Dollars?

[jayhawkers2]

Spending 2 days in Vancouver from USA prior to cruise. Are Canadian dollars necessary?

[Brian V]

Use your credit card, or your debit card if it supports visa debit or Interac.

 

Seriously, would you expect anyone in NYC to take Canadian dollars?

[Fouremco]

It depends a lot on your spending habits. If you prefer to use cash instead of credit/debit cards, you'll have no trouble having USD accepted. However, you'll get a very poor exchange rate for the most part, so it might be worth your while getting CAD. If you generally don't use cash at home, don't bother for just a couple of days here.

[K32682]

On 9/5/2024 at 8:53 PM, Fouremco said:

It depends a lot on your spending habits. If you prefer to use cash instead of credit/debit cards, you'll have no trouble having USD accepted. However, you'll get a very poor exchange rate for the most part, so it might be worth your while getting CAD. If you generally don't use cash at home, don't bother for just a couple of days here.

 

USD might be grudgingly accepted but it is not legal tender in Canada and IMO it is disrespectful for Americans to use it for cash purchases here.   

 

I put myself through school working in the hospitality business not far from the border. When an American attempted to pay a bill in USD we accepted it at par and gave change back in CAD also at par. If one complained they were politely informed that we were not a currency exchange. 

[Fouremco]

16 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

USD might be grudgingly accepted but it is not legal tender in Canada and IMO it is disrespectful for Americans to use it for cash purchases here.   

 

I put myself through school working in the hospitality business not far from the border. When an American attempted to pay a bill in USD we accepted it at par and gave change back in CAD also at par. If one complained they were politely informed that we were not a currency exchange. 

While USD is not legal tender in Canada, there's also no prohibition on the use of USD. As those Canadian businesses that accept USD set their own exchange rate, and as you say, often accept it at par, thus making a nice little bit of extra profit, I doubt that they feel disrespected.

[phabric]

Most stores and restaurants all take credit cards or debt cards.  One restaurant near me in Toronto only takes cash or debt.

 

If going to a craft or flea markets, you might need Canadian cash.

 

Taxi, you might want to ask before getting in if they take a credit card.

Edited September 9 by phabric

[*Miss G*]

Wow.  Grudging and disrespectful.  Strong words.  I prefer to remain on the neighbourly side of things.  Back when Buffalo was trying to pull themselves out of a poor economy, they consulted with their neighbours north of the border and came up with a plan.  

 

Lots of Canadian-at-par back then, and lots of USD cheerfully accepted by Canadian businesses.  It went so well that it expanded into urban planning, consulting, and growth as Ontario and New York worked together to help each other out.

 

Grudging and disrespectful?  That is not how I know Canadians to be and I hope that does not change.

[neeuqdrazil]

The grudging and disrespectful likely mostly comes from having to deal with tourists who get angry that their USD isn't accepted, or is only accepted at par, instead of recognizing that the vendor is doing you a favour by accepting your foreign cash. 

 

Dealing with USD cash as a small business can be quite the hassle when trying to deal with taxes and balancing the books, because you've got a different amount in the till than the books say you do.

 

Would you expect every business in Florida to cheerfully accept Canadian currency? (Florida chosen because, while it's not on the border, there are a lot of Canadians down there every year.) 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, neeuqdrazil said:

Would you expect every business in Florida to cheerfully accept Canadian currency?

It depends largely on the strength of a region's tourism industry, and Florida businesses can afford to take a hard-nosed approach. On the other hand, there are northern NY State businesses that run promotions not only offering to accept CAD, but to do so at par.

 

As figures for US tourists visiting Canada continue to lag behind 2019 numbers, it seems logical for businesses to be as accommodating as possible, including accepting USD.

[K32682]

4 hours ago, neeuqdrazil said:

The grudging and disrespectful likely mostly comes from having to deal with tourists who get angry that their USD isn't accepted, or is only accepted at par, instead of recognizing that the vendor is doing you a favour by accepting your foreign cash. 

 

Dealing with USD cash as a small business can be quite the hassle when trying to deal with taxes and balancing the books, because you've got a different amount in the till than the books say you do.

 

Would you expect every business in Florida to cheerfully accept Canadian currency? (Florida chosen because, while it's not on the border, there are a lot of Canadians down there every year.) 

 

I've had Canadian change tossed back at me by store clerks in Florida. As the denominations and sizes are almost identical it's an easy mistake to make but some Floridians can get nasty about it. I wouldn't dream of trying to pay anything with CAD much beyond 5 miles past the northern border.

 

At one restaurant I worked at in Canada the owner said he didn't want American currency in the till probably to avoid the accounting and potential tax issues. If an American wanted to pay in USD we'd accept it at par, cover the bill out of our own pockets, keep the USD for ourselves and either exchange it later or save it for our trips to the U.S. 

[*Miss G*]

5 hours ago, neeuqdrazil said:

The grudging and disrespectful likely mostly comes from having to deal with tourists who get angry that their USD isn't accepted, or is only accepted at par, instead of recognizing that the vendor is doing you a favour by accepting your foreign cash. 

 

The OP went to the trouble of finding the Canadian board to ask an honest question. Their query was quite the opposite of disrespectful and they should not be treated as though they are. We are better than that. 

[*Miss G*]

5 hours ago, neeuqdrazil said:

 

Would you expect every business in Florida to cheerfully accept Canadian currency? (Florida chosen because, while it's not on the border, there are a lot of Canadians down there every year.) 

No. But Canadians are treated welcomingly, and uniquely, in Florida in that snowbirds are allowed to have a Florida resident permit as well as a Florida resident driver’s license. That’s pretty neighbourly for a State which is far from the border. 

Edited September 10 by *Miss G*

[Sabbycat]

More and more shops are no longer accepting foreign currency, and so yes, I would bring a couple of hundred Canadian dollars or use a Canadian cash machine to get them once here. Use a bank affiliated one to reduce transaction fees.

[mexico8]

I tried to buy a couple of hot dogs in a U.S.A. airport a few years ago with Canadian currency and they refused to accept it.   At that time our Canadian dollar was very strong and another traveller exchanged some US currency with me so I could eat.

[phabric]

I am Canadian. Many years ago, I had a Canadian penny and handed it in with my other US coins and cashier refused it.