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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
On 7-May-02 the US Dollar was worth about 0.71 UK Pounds (71p) and the Canadian Dollar was worth about 0.45 UK Pounds (45p).
It is vital to remember the difference in exchange rates when comparing prices in the two countries.
There are one hundred cents in a Canadian Dollar.
In most parts of the USA and Canada only their own currency is accepted. However, close to the border the other country's currency may be accepted, especially in larger supermarkets and shops. It is probably fair to say that Canadian shops are more likely to take US currency than US shops are to take Canadian currency. The rate of exchange in shops may not be as favourable as in a bank.
Rhonda Hyslop kindly sent me this additional information:
Many stores in Canada, even those far from the border, will take US money, but they'll give you an atrocious exchange rate on the bills and face value on the coins. It's common for small shops to take US money at 10% or more below the official exchange rate. Larger shops will take them at closer to the official exchange rate. A gas station, for example, will offer a 1.3-1.4 exchange when the official rate is 1.5 (that is, a US $10 bill will get you $13-14 Canadian, while at a bank it'll get you $15 Canadian or so, depending on the current exchange rate.) Don't bother arguing about this; they'll just tell you how to get to a bank if you don't like their exchange rate.
This additional information is also from Rhonda Hyslop:
Some bills have been redesigned over the last couple of years, so you will see two different designs in common use, though the colour scheme stayed the same.
The $5 bill is blue.
The $10 bill is purple.
The $20 bill is green.
The $50 bill is red.
The $100 bill is brown.
If you find or get a $1 or $2 bill, hang on to it. They're not quite collector's items yet, I don't think, but they're pretty rare.
Canadians think that US money is ugly and that it's hard to tell different denominations apart. People in the USA think Canadian money is "play money" because it's colourful.
The $2 coin has a polar bear on it. People are sometimes still boggled by how much money they can have in their pockets, because we're still not really subconsciously used to having the $2 coin around, even though we've gotten used to dealing with it in stores.
The 50c piece is still regularly made by the Canadian mint, but they say that collectors buy most of the production, and I've found that many Canadians think they don't exist, or are only limited run commemorative coins.
The quarter has a caribou.
The dime has a sailing ship.
The nickel has a beaver.
The penny has maple leaves.
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Most recently modified 30-Nov-03