Conference kaosws::canada

    I have found that exchanging money in Canada usually get you a few
    more cents per dollar. Also you can shop around from bank to bank.
    Three weeks ago I saw a difference of 18.55 to 18.98 %
    
    The rate has been hovering around %18 to %20.
    
    Jim

    try to stay away from the chartered banks and change your money
    at some place that specializes in currency, like Friedberg Merchantile,
    (don't know if they have something in Montreal), Deak International,
    or Guardian Trust. They usually give you a better rate. Also, pickup
    a copy of the Financial Post or Globe & Mail to see what the going
    rate is so you'll know if you're getting burnt.
    
    cheers,
    /mike

    We were in Quebec and Ontario in late August.  The tourist office
    at the border crossing point had a brochure for the Bank of America
    in downtown Montreal.  Our motel clerks also recommended them.
                                                      
    We didn't spend a lot of cash (Relax, you have MasterCard -- and
    bills until January from your August vacation) so we generally exchanged
    our money at the motels.  They all gave us 15% premium.  When we
    got to Niagara Falls, the official agencies (Dept. of Tourism
    or some such thing) were advertising the "latest official rate",
    which they quoted as 19%.  So the motels weren't far off on a small
    amount of money.
    
    By comparison, we had a few (less than 5) Canadian dollars left
    when we came back through New York state.  We stopped at a service
    place on the thruway, and they gave us 70 cents on the dollar to
    spend Canadian in New York.  The official rate would have been about
    84 cents.  Such generosity!
    
    So try not to bring back a lot of Canadian money to the States.
    You may have a hard time getting a reasonable rate for it.
    
    Mark

    
    
    Depending on when you plan on going to canada, it might be a wise
    idea to exchange at least some money before you go.  Most canadian
    banks seem to close at 3:00, and are not open at all on weekends.
    If you're planning to drive up for a weekend, plan on arriving 
    early, or get money in advance...
    
    If you decide to get canadian money in the U.S., don't wait until
    the last moment.  A surprising amount of banks in Mass don't have
    it on hand.  I got *really* fooled last year when I drove all around
    Shrewsbury looking for it, only to find that a "high-school bus-trip"
    was scheduled for the same weekend, and the school kids had eaten
    up the entire local supply of canadian money in the area.
      First New Hampshire bank (In windham) seems to always have 
    canadian money on hand, and at a good excchange rate.  What
    they seem to do is simply put the money recieved from the 
    canadians travelling southbound in a shoebox, and exchange it
    at a favorable rate to "get rid of it"...  
                                                             
      If you're going to frequent canada, you're probably better off
    to get a large amount of money, and simply keep what's left
    between trips rather than converting it back and forth.  The 
    amount saved can be surprising...
    
    
    						-al
    

    If you ever get stuck on a weekend, check for a autoteller that
    is part of cirrus. It will give you advance money at par in Canadian
    currency. They take MC,VISA, Bay Banks plus some others. 
    If you do make enough trips you might want to start a bank account up
    there. It's nice to have your vacation money waiting for you when
    you arrive. Plus my Bank Of Montreal card works down here too. (for
    U.S. money)
    
    Jim

    I got ~22% in late August in Quebec at the Bank of Montreal.
    
    Take _some_ in advance, but change most of it in Canada...you'll
    get alot more than if you change it in the US.
    
    I got the best rate ever at a credit union (Caisse Populaire (sp))
    in Nova Scotia in 1986, but have heard that you can do better at
    banks in Quebec.
    
    As stated previously, if you're making frequent trips to Canada
    keep any extra Canadian currency at the end of your trip.  I only
    go once a year (if I'm lucky B')) so I figure it pretty close.
    
    If you've got a little left over and you don't want to get burnt changing
    it back to US then get rolls of quarters and dimes as Canadian coins are 
    taken at par in the US (except in border towns).  
                                                          
    Be careful in shops/resturants that don't post exchange rates, they
    might not offer a premium on US $$ !              
    
    
    

    I'm going to Quebec July 23-29.  What's the current exchange rate?
    

    To answer 'what's the current exchange rate', it depends on where
    you're coming from...but according to the Toronto Star (Sat. 27th)
    
    		$1CAN = $0.83US    or     $1.22CAN = $1US
    
    Hope that helps.  Check the local paper for the latest in the
    continuing fluctuating dollar saga!		;-)
    
    
    Dave

    Thanks for the info...sorry I didn't check back sooner.

Is anyone with a Canadian checking account going to be in the Greater
Maynard area within the next week?

I'll sell you US$ at the exchange rate in the newspaper in return for a
check.

I may need to set up a way to do this once a month.

Most banks here want a US$20 service charge for checks written in C$.

/john

    From what I understand, I can exhange my $ at the hotel I'm
    staying at?  Is this true?   I'll be staying at the Prince Hotel
    in Toronto.  Thanks,
    
    Nancy

    US$ can be exchanged for CDN$ in many stores, hotels, gas stations
    etc.  BUT the exchange rate can vary from EXCELLENT to terrible.
    
    Better normally is to exchange your $ at a bank, although there will
    be a typical 1% service charge.  Or for convenience, what I do when
    travelling is to use a bank card to make withdrwals from my own
    account in the local currency.  The networks available here are
    Plus, Interac, Circuit, Cirrus and Visa.  Although I do get hit with
    a service charge for using the card, the exchange rate used is the
    bank's bulk exchange rate which is as good as you get except for
    promotional rates.
    
    Stuart

   I will be visting Montreal next week. Is the advice in this topic 
   still valid? Synopsis:

      1) Get a small amount of cash exchanged now so that I have some while
         travelling.

      2) In Montreal, locate a Cirrus machine and extract money using my
         VISA card (will the Canadian Cirrus tellers accept my DCU money
         card?)

      3) Failing (2), shop around at the banks.

-mike

P.S. Anyone know what the approximate exchange rate is?

    Bank of Montreal Automatic tellers are all on Cirrus ... and you'll
    have no problem finding BoM branches anywhere on your travels.
    
    Current exchange rate is about 83.5 cents US = $1 CDN
    
    Stuart

    Bank of Montreal and Royal Bank both have ATM's at Vancouver Airport. 
    I expect the same applies for Montreal Airport - maybe somebody who's
    been there recently can confirm.
    
    I'd bring some $US across and just withdraw $CAD as required - just
    remember Cirrus puts on a flat $2-3 service charge so it's prudent to
    get larger amounts.
    
    	Owen

>    I'd bring some $US across and just withdraw $CAD as required - just
>    remember Cirrus puts on a flat $2-3 service charge so it's prudent to
>    get larger amounts.

My bank charges me only $1.25 when withdrawing from Cirrus in Canada.

/john

	Since this is about two years old now, Doesn anyone have the
	exchange rate of US = $1 CDN ?


				Thanks,

						Mike

    Cost me $1.40 cdn for american $1 yesterday at Bank of Nova Scotia.

    That's the best it's been in quite a while.
    

    Could someone please tell me the current exchange rate.
    
    Thanks.

    $1 Cnd = .73 U.S.

    105 Pta = 1SF