Please help - I'm leaving for NYC very early tomorrow morning and forgot that our Canadian banks are closed today in honour of Remembrance Day.

I planned to get some US money today but wasn't able to. I'll use credit for most things but do need to have some cash - where is the best place to exchange Cdn cash for US.

Do all banks do that? Are some banks more reasonable in their charges for that sort of thing?

Best way is to use your Canadian bank ATM to get $USD. Check with your bank if they have branches or a partner in NYC that will reduce bank imposed ATM fees.

The big banks should do it (Chase, Citibank, Wachovia). I've heard the A&S Foreign Exchange at 148 West 32nd, just off 7th has given very good rates but haven't used them myself. It's near Penn station and Macy's if you'll be in that area.

ATM card is the best way to go.

Few and far between banks in NYC do currency exchange--and at a very poor rate. If they have currency exchange, they will only exchange paper currency. There are still a few Thomas Cook exchange bureaus around midtown Manhattan.

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately my bank card is a no-frills, no-fee account that doesn't offer protection when used outside of Canada. I was hoping to use the Cdn cash I took from the ATM here.

I'll keep my eyes open for an exchange bureau.

Thanks Mclaurie

I'm staying at the Grand Union at 32nd - can easily make my way over to 7th.

Doesn't offer protection? Protection from what?

If I use my card outside of Canada and anything goes wrong - shows an incorrect amount taken, etc I won't be protected. With other cards in Canada we are fully protected. My card is also not accepted many places outside Canada.

I don't know if you have this type of account in the US. It's offerred through one of our grocery stores - a full-fledged bank account but because no fees are charged and we gather grocery points each time it's used it's a bit different from our actual bank cards. It isn't connected with the usual Interac, etc. Fabulous for local use but not great for travel.

Very few banks do currency exchange on the spot - you usually have to give them several days. And the rates are outrageous. You're much better off simply pulling cash from an ATM with your debit card - will be much cheaper and less trouble.

If you don;t have an ATM card linked to a network you'll have to go to one of the bureaux des changes (try google - there are a few in the city) but expect to lose a lot in the transaction.