Do I need cash in Canada, or can I use cards?

Canada runs on plastic and phones. Visa and Mastercard are taken almost everywhere, contactless is standard, and Apple Pay and Google Pay work at most terminals. Amex is accepted more widely than in much of Europe but still less than Visa or Mastercard, so treat it as a backup rather than your only card. You will see locals tap a card called Interac, the domestic debit network, but it is a Canadian-bank product you will not use, and your own tap works fine alongside it.

Keep a little cash, roughly C$40 to C$60, for the genuinely cash-friendly corners: farmers markets, food trucks, some parking meters, tips for a bellhop or housekeeping, and the rare small shop that prefers it. Note there is no penny in Canada, so a cash total rounds to the nearest 5 cents, while a card charge is exact.

This catches US visitors out even though it mirrors home. The shelf or menu price does not include sales tax: depending on the province, roughly 5% up to 15% is added at the register, so you always pay a bit more than the number shown. Alberta and the territories are cheapest at 5%, while Ontario and Atlantic Canada run 13 to 15%.

On top of tax, tipping is US-style: around 15 to 20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, prompted right on the terminal, which can suggest figures based on the post-tax total. It is a real part of the cost, so a listed C$100 dinner can land near C$130. The fuller tax and tipping picture, including the fact that there is no general sales-tax refund for visitors, is in the Canada money guide.

When a card terminal or an ATM offers to charge you in US dollars or Canadian dollars, always choose Canadian dollars. Picking US dollars triggers dynamic currency conversion, a marked-up rate that quietly adds 3 to 8%. Let your own bank do the conversion instead.

A handful of border towns and tourist spots will take US cash, but at a poor rate, and your change comes back in Canadian dollars, so you lose either way. Pay and tip in Canadian dollars, and carry a card with no foreign-transaction fee so the card route stays cheap.

For cash, use a major bank ATM: RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO or CIBC. Avoid the private white-label machines tucked into bars, hotels and convenience stores, which stack steep surcharges on top of your own bank's fee. Most machines dispense C$20 notes, so ask for an amount that is not all in fifties if you want small bills.

Use a debit card at the ATM rather than a credit card, since a credit-card withdrawal is a cash advance with a fee and interest from day one. Decline the machine's US-dollar conversion, take out a few days' worth at once to limit per-visit fees, and shield your PIN.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on Canada

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Tipping in CanadaUnlike Europe, Canada tips just like the US: 15 to 20% at sit-down restaurants, and staff rely on it. The one thing to watch is the card terminal, which often suggests high amounts and calculates on the after-tax total. Here is what you actually owe.
• Bringing your dog or cat to Canada.Canada is one of the lightest-lift destinations for a US pet owner. For an adult dog or cat there is no health certificate, no quarantine, and no waiting period. One document does almost all the work: a valid rabies vaccination certificate. Here is exactly what the border wants, and the one thing to remember for the trip home.
• Staying connected in Canada.Canada is the one trip on this list where your US plan may already have you covered without paying more, so start there. If it does not, or you want real data, an eSIM is cheaper than a day pass. The thing to plan for is the dead zones on rural highways and in the parks.
• What does renting a car in Canada really cost?Canada is the easy one for US drivers: your license works, and your usual card and insurance most likely cover the car, so the counter's pricey add-ons are often skippable. The costs to watch are the winter-tire rule, a sneaky Ontario toll, and the usual drop and driver fees.
• Taxis, Uber and Lyft in Canada.Rideshare works in Canada's major cities much as it does at home, so getting around town is easy. The money question is the airport run, where a train or a fixed taxi fare often beats a surging Uber. Here is what to use where.