Canada holiday advice

On the countdown to our holiday over in Canada at the end of July. Thinking out loud regarding currency, what I tend to do nowadays when traveling in the EU is:

-- convert £100 to the locals currency in advance at the Post Office in the UK and take this as cash in my pocket
-- Put say £1000 onto my Revolut card, convert it into the local currency, then use my Revolut card to withdraw at an ATM in the country as and when I need it. Also use this card for card transactions when possible. At the end of the holiday, if I've any left, convert it back to £ and move it back to my current account.

Has anyone got any tips or thoughts on this regarding Canada? Revolut seems to work over there, I've checked.

Cheers

When we went just used credit card for pretty much everything with bit of cash changed in UK for tips etc.

Revolut + some cash is pretty much what I do for trips to the States/EU. Only thing to maybe note is that Revolut only allow one free ATM withdrawal per month now unless you upgrade.

I usually just use the card instead of taking cash out. Bit of cash for tips etc. Rest card.

So many places going cashless now anyway.

He is going to be so offended.

Didn't know that. Might upgrade for a month. Ta.

Don't you get hammered for exchange fees on every transaction though? Better to use a card that has Canadian currency on it?

There are cards that don’t charge and give best exchange rates (check the options on the MSE website). I just opened a Chase account specifically for holiday use.

I preloaded money onto a caxton card. Is convenient, I don't know how cost effective the exchange rates are.

Assuming you mean me, not at all. I'm actually the least useful person on this topic, because I have no idea what the most effective way to manage holiday money is in Canada.

Have a couple of cards that don't charge fees etc just do it at the proper daily rate. Barclays Reward is the current favourite one but there are a few if look around.

I did mean you, and not in an offended offended way, but I think you'd have a pretty good up-to-date knowledge about paying for stuff in Canada.

I know all about paying for stuff in Canada, but I know nothing about paying for it with a British bank account because I haven't done that in 14 years.

If you're talking about the actual methods of payment, we're a developed country. Even in the most rural of places we have moved on from bartering with caribou skins and firewater, and accept contactless payments and chip and PIN.

Of course.

But Germany, for example, still has noticeably less developed contactless economy than the UK, especially in small towns etc.

Tipping culture? Is that a thing like in the US? Is cash needed for that?

That sort of thing.

He’s too busy fighting fires to bother with this nonsense.

Shady just get a gas mask you will be ‘right.

You don’t have no foreign transaction fee credit cards in the U.K? This I find hard to believe because I own the Barclaycard that doesn’t charge any fees at all for travel.

Just wear a lumberjack shirt, have a Mountie hat on and say Ey a lot and you can get blow job money after chipping your tooth playing pick up hockey. Easy peasy.

They are generally nice people but certainly nicer on the West coast around Vancouver. I think you will make it, unless you take your ex-girlfriend from the nursery and then you may have to find a new bollock. Vancouver island is a good place to hide though. Might be some dancing money to be made..

None of this helps apart from the credit card bit but I am amused…

Chicago: Dealing in stereotypes.

Fair enough, although that wasn't what he asked. He was specifically asking about the best way to convert sterling.

Tipping is a thing like in the US. Most things here are like the US, when it comes to financial transactions. We're maybe a bit less cash-centric than them but you can still do pretty much anything you like in cash, short of paying for a decent hotel.

For some reason Uber Canada is used for a disproportionate amount of fraud spend.
I generally recommend Wise for international debit card.

I opened thread with some excitement, thinking it would be a replay of Race Across The World with a discussion about the culture and sights of Canada.
Instead it was a fairly dry discussion of Shady's FX intentions and an ensuing credit card discussion.