exchanging money to American
May 17th, 2005, 03:04 PM
#2
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US dollars are easy to obtain here in Canada. I would not enter the US without at least some local curency that way you don't have to worry about finding an ATM right away. If you run out while away just use your ATM card.
May 17th, 2005, 03:57 PM
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American border officials turned some Australian friends of ours away when they attempted to cross from Alberta to Montana in the fall of 2002. The reason was that our friends did not have any American cash on them. They were in Waterton Lakes National Park, at the southern extremity of Alberta, and they decided to drive into Montana for a few hours on the spur of the moment. They thought they could do it, because the multi-entry visa they'd obtained for visiting the USA the previous year was still valid. However, because they made a sudden decision to visit the USA, it hadn't occurred to them to obtain American cash beforehand. They had to drive back some distance to the town of Waterton to obtain American cash from a bank there. There were no facilities for obtaining American cash at the border post itself. I'm sure there would be an exchange bureau if you were going through American immigration formalities at a Canadian airport. Still, based on our friends' experience, I would advise every traveller to the United States to get some American cash in advance.
May 17th, 2005, 05:35 PM
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Hi Judy, that's really strange. Why do you suppose the border officials care if you have cash or not?
barbarianmatt, I usually think its useful to have alittle of the local currency before I go on a trip. but the rule of thumb is it is always cheaper to buy local. Get your US Dollars in the US. ATMs are the best. You can find many postings here, or in the Europe forum about the intricacies and costs of various ways of getting local money/
barbarianmatt, I usually think its useful to have alittle of the local currency before I go on a trip. but the rule of thumb is it is always cheaper to buy local. Get your US Dollars in the US. ATMs are the best. You can find many postings here, or in the Europe forum about the intricacies and costs of various ways of getting local money/
May 20th, 2005, 01:33 PM
#6
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We were headed into the US a few years ago (pre 9-11) for a 4 month stay. The US border officials asked us how much cash we had with us. I thought it was a bit strange, and confirmed, "Cash? Actual paper money?" - he nodded with a look on his face like I was a total moron. The two of us dug into our pockets and pulled out about $17.35CAD between the two of us. "That's it?!" He exclaims, "how are you going to live on that for 4 months?". We then proceeded to explain that we have other money - in the bank. After producing bank statements (seriously) he let us in.
I have a feeling that US border officials have a different definition of cash than the rest of the planet.
I have a feeling that US border officials have a different definition of cash than the rest of the planet.
