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Thank you for all the answers. One more silly question. Is tipping culture pretty much the same in Canada as it is in the US? I don't want to offend anybody. 15-20% at restaurants and tipping housekeeping daily at hotels is OK I assume?
Just fine. Don't forget cab drivers, bellhops, and valet parkers, too.
Thank you for all the answers. One more silly question. Is tipping culture pretty much the same in Canada as it is in the US? I don't want to offend anybody. 15-20% at restaurants and tipping housekeeping daily at hotels is OK I assume?
You tip well, I'm very sure a waitress/waiter won't care what you use to pay if you tip 20%.
Quote:
Originally Posted by willg
I have seen the number of establishments that won't accept $50 or $100 decrease over the last couple of years.
I have a theory to this. It used to be people would counter fit large bills as tech in the older days was less advance, with the printing devices. So in turn, the government stepped up their game on water marks with the new 100 bills and banks were more carful when checking these bills. So the ever inventive criminal moved to small bills that would be easier to forge. Also, to get around the banks, they would do many small transactions at fast food places or what not, places that wouldn't check the bills as thoroughly as a bank. Recently, I think the Gov caught on to this and that is why we have a new 10 dollar bill. It will be interesting to see the criminals next move is.
That's the last place I would ever take Canadian pennies to if I were you. If you don't spend them, I'd keep them in a safe place along with all discontinued $1 and $2 bills, old bills of any denomination, and 50 cent coins as keepsakes. The moment you hand them over to the bank, they will most likely never see the light of day again because they will ship them back to the Mint which will ship them to Montreal to get melted down. Most banks refuse to sell back pennies to the public these days. Besides, you won't get much value back unless you have a room full of pennies. Even 1,000 pennies rolled up in 20 rolls gets you only $10 back, that's barely enough to pay for round trip bus fare these days. Who knows, someone might be interested in your pennies down the road.
That's the thing I disagreed about the penny policy. I'm sorry if I am criticizing Canadian national policy but it's something I feel strongly about and I would the same if the US adopts a similar policy. It's one thing to stop minting pennies, it's another to withdraw them from circulation, but did they have to melt them away? As with all coins, pennies can last a long time in circulation and unlike dollar bills, they are hard to counterfeit. This policy is what causes all the confusion of whether they are acceptable and dispensable or not and it's really not necessary.
While we're on the side topic of discontinued currency, has anyone asked the O.P. if his bills are of the most recent issue (the 2011 Frontier Series which are made of polymer and are easily recognizable) or are they older bills made of paper? Would the O.P. have a harder time spending older bills, especially the larger $50 and $100 denominations? Honestly I have not encountered any merchant in my four recent visits to Canada that gave back old bills in change or any banks that dispensed them. Is that cause for concern?
That's the last place I would ever take Canadian pennies to if I were you. If you don't spend them, I'd keep them in a safe place along with all discontinued $1 and $2 bills, old bills of any denomination, and 50 cent coins as keepsakes. The moment you hand them over to the bank, they will most likely never see the light of day again because they will ship them back to the Mint which will ship them to Montreal to get melted down. Most banks refuse to sell back pennies to the public these days. Besides, you won't get much value back unless you have a room full of pennies. Even 1,000 pennies rolled up in 20 rolls gets you only $10 back, that's barely enough to pay for round trip bus fare these days. Who knows, someone might be interested in your pennies down the road.
That's the thing I disagreed about the penny policy. I'm sorry if I am criticizing Canadian national policy but it's something I feel strongly about and I would the same if the US adopts a similar policy. It's one thing to stop minting pennies, it's another to withdraw them from circulation, but did they have to melt them away? As with all coins, pennies can last a long time in circulation and unlike dollar bills, they are hard to counterfeit. This policy is what causes all the confusion of whether they are acceptable and dispensable or not and it's really not necessary.
Yes I know the bank will have them melted down, that was all up front and centre when it was announced that the penny would no longer be minted, and the process of having them end up at the banks would eventually remove them totally from circulation.
However that is not how most people got rid of their pennies. They just used them at stores etc, and the stores would send them to the banks.
The reaction in Canada regarding the penny was positive, as far as I can tell. Nobody I know misses them, and frankly it just makes transactions easier. Other countries have done similar things in the past.
It just doesn't makes sense to mint something that costs more to mint than it's worth. As for saving ordinary bills and pennies as keepsakes, sure, but how many pennies do you need to do that? They certainly aren't going to be rare and even today you can buy a 1967 CDN dollar bill for under 2 dollars.
As for confusion on legal tender on my part, meh, it's not a big deal.
Canada has a history of changing our money. Bills have gone through several incarnations in my lifetime alone, much more than you do in the US, so the penny thing isn't so unusual for us. In the US there seems to be something almost sacred on how you view your money.
The only complaints I can remember regarding our money was when we got rid of the dollar bill and replaced it with a coin. Some complained, but over time it's become iconic to Canadians. The 2 dollar coin was introduced and people just accepted it as a natural progression. Oh yes ,and when the polymer notes were first introduced many didn't like the slippery aspect...but you get used to it.
Australia's denominations are pretty much the same as Canada, the Euro as well. Many places just found that having coins in the lower denominations just didn't make sense because of inflation.
I would rather put 4 coins in the farebox on a bus than 11.
As for criticizing Canadian policy GO FOR IT ! You're allowed
While we're on the side topic of discontinued currency, has anyone asked the O.P. if his bills are of the most recent issue (the 2011 Frontier Series which are made of polymer and are easily recognizable) or are they older bills made of paper? Would the O.P. have a harder time spending older bills, especially the larger $50 and $100 denominations? Honestly I have not encountered any merchant in my four recent visits to Canada that gave back old bills in change or any banks that dispensed them. Is that cause for concern?
You rarely see paper bills anymore, but I've had no problem using them. Now if they were really, really old perhaps, but the last paper bills printed before the polymers ones shouldn't be a problem.
The old bills once in the hands of the bank are sent back to be destroyed I believe.
That said, I did hear that someone did have a very young clerk go to a manager to see if the money was real. They had never dealt with paper before.
While we're on the side topic of discontinued currency, has anyone asked the O.P. if his bills are of the most recent issue (the 2011 Frontier Series which are made of polymer and are easily recognizable) or are they older bills made of paper? Would the O.P. have a harder time spending older bills, especially the larger $50 and $100 denominations? Honestly I have not encountered any merchant in my four recent visits to Canada that gave back old bills in change or any banks that dispensed them. Is that cause for concern?
The Canadian bills I have look brand new and are very slick. They have a hologram type thing running through them.
I accidentally laundered a twenty the other day and I may have changed my mind about the polymer bills.
I too washed/dried by accident a $20.bill the new kind and it turned out perfect with no wrinkles.
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