Changing money

trying_to_fly

How much should i change? i mean i don't want to change a lot and carry tons of cash on me and i do not have a credit card. only a debit card for barclays
i'm going to canada for a month or 3

thanks

trying_to_fly

sorry i should have clarified. i know how much i have to spend but i didn't want to change the full amount.

what i mean is will it be ok to use a debit card to withdraw money i saw some ppl mentioning it's troublesome.

Foxtbh

Apply for a Halifax Clarity Credit Card and use that to withdraw your cash. It's the best way and avoids being ripped off by Highstreet exchange places or by excessive bank charges.

whatmichaelsays

Alternatively, consider a pre-paid travel card. The Caxton FX card offers free cash withdrawals (although in North America, local fees of up to $5+ can be quite common for using ATMs)

luci

I have read on here of people having problems withdrawing cash from ATM's with UK card in Canada so I wouldn't rely on one card. You could contact your bank and ask which banks in Canada their card should work with.

trying_to_fly

whatmichaelsays wrote: »

Alternatively, consider a pre-paid travel card. The Caxton FX card offers free cash withdrawals (although in North America, local fees of up to $5+ can be quite common for using ATMs)

thanks
i checked this out
so simply it's like an oyster card
i just top it up with say 100 pounds
and use it as i like in canadian atms? thats brilliant.
one question theres 3 choices for the card non mention canada. the dollar card says usa so does this mean i get the third option of global traveler?

whatmichaelsays

trying_to_fly wrote: »

thanks
i checked this out
so simply it's like an oyster card
i just top it up with say 100 pounds
and use it as i like in canadian atms? thats brilliant.
one question theres 3 choices for the card non mention canada. the dollar card says usa so does this mean i get the third option of global traveler?

I can only speak for Caxton as that's the one I use but in your case, the Global would be better IMO.

The global traveller card is loaded up in GBP and you can use it in any ATM or anywhere where Visa/Mastercard is accepted worldwide. Your account is debited at whatever the prevailing exchange rate is at the time of the transaction. Where possible, try to use the card in stores as, like I mentioned earlier, ATM fees tend to be the rule rather than the exception in North America. (I've only ever come across Chase Bank in the US that doesn't charge).

The other cards (Euro / USD) are loaded in the local currency. Ie, if you want €300, you upload €300 at whatever the exchange rate is on the day.

I have both the Euro and Global card and tend to use the Global card more often (although I find the Euro one handy on my occasional jaunts to Ireland). I've recently got back from the US and had no problems with the Global card.

claire16c

I have a barclays debit card and you can withdraw money from ATMs in Canada no problem. Barclays have agreements with banks around the world so that you dont get charged for using certain ones. In Canada, I think the free one was Scotia bank. But you can double check on the barclays website. We just made sure we always went to one of those.

Just make sure you log onto your online banking before hand and you can put in the dates you will be in Canada, and then your card wont get stopped for fraud prevention.

claire16c

Ive just checked for you and it is Scotia bank, see the link below

http://www.scotiabank.com/cda/content/0,1608,CID8040_LIDen,00.html

trying_to_fly

claire16c wrote: »

I have a barclays debit card and you can withdraw money from ATMs in Canada no problem. Barclays have agreements with banks around the world so that you dont get charged for using certain ones. In Canada, I think the free one was Scotia bank. But you can double check on the barclays website. We just made sure we always went to one of those.

Just make sure you log onto your online banking before hand and you can put in the dates you will be in Canada, and then your card wont get stopped for fraud prevention.

Thanks!
i'm getting more and more nervous for this trip and thinking of a ton of things to worry myself with

Debbie_A_3

trying_to_fly wrote: »

Thanks!
i'm getting more and more nervous for this trip and thinking of a ton of things to worry myself with

Hi! try not to get nervous. Canada is a wonderful country and it really isn't that "foreign". As for withdrawing money, you just pop your card into an ATM just like you do here. If it doesn't work, you phone your bank just like you would here. Sure, some cards are cheaper than others to use (and if you have the time you really should investigate getting the best value), and it is a really really good idea to have a choice of cards you can use (in case one doesn't work when you are short of cash). But don't let worrying ruin your holiday. Have a GREAT time!

Debbie