# Americans Buying Gas in Canada? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689 "2007-07-13T18:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/21 "2007-07-15T15:56:36Z")
**Antigen** there is a series of commercials. some show cash, at least one shows a check. [Here is the first (cash) one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmlPEHfoiqk) [Here is a check version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOMhNb6jtrg) ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/22 "2007-07-15T21:17:24Z")
I used my Chase Visa card for gas at the pump in TO and Montreal in June, without problems. I also used it in several venues (CN tower, restaurants, grocery stores, the ROM, Biodome, Village des Valeurs - man I wish we had those here! - Biosphere, KOA Kampground) and never had it rejected. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/23 "2007-07-15T21:45:41Z")
I use my US Visa at Canadian gas pumps in Alberta. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/24 "2007-07-16T00:23:23Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] You found a Tim’s that takes debit?? The ones around Montreal all have signs up saying that to maintain speed of service, they don’t take cards of any kind, just cash. Which really sucks when I need to go get a $20 out of a bank machine so I can get a coffee. [/QUOTE] The same in Ontario , but recently i have been seeing a new little mastercard device that probably uses RFID in the drive thru anyways. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/25 "2007-07-16T01:03:39Z")
[QUOTE=Vlad/Igor] I used my Chase Visa card for gas at the pump in TO and Montreal in June, without problems. I also used it in several venues (CN tower, restaurants, grocery stores, the ROM, Biodome, Village des Valeurs - man I wish we had those here! - Biosphere, KOA Kampground) and never had it rejected. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but it’s only pay-at-the-pump situations that they would be rejected, not at other venues. Even the pay-at-the-pump places will take US cards if you go inside. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/26 "2007-07-16T02:38:10Z")
[QUOTE=Balthisar] Yeah, but it’s only pay-at-the-pump situations that they would be rejected, not at other venues. Even the pay-at-the-pump places will take US cards if you go inside. [/QUOTE] I never had to go inside to pay with my US Visa card. I paid for all of my gas purchases at the pump. I suspect that it has to do with the issuer of the card rather than being a foreign card. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/27 "2007-07-16T02:52:12Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > If it makes you feel any better, my debit card doesn’t work in the US. Because it’s also coded to allow it to work with US banking networks, I can use it at American ATMs. But I can’t use it at a retailer who offers payment by debit card–even though it’s plainly a debit card. Canadian _Interac_ debit cards can be used at US merchants that accept cards on the _Nyce_ system. [Cross-border debit](http://www.acxsys.ca/services_payment.php) > [@](#): > > Cross Border Debit provides Canadian debit cardholders from participating financial institutions the convenience of using their cards at US retailers supporting NYCE PIN point-of-sale payments. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/28 "2007-07-16T05:23:23Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Canadian _Interac_ debit cards can be used at US merchants that accept cards on the _Nyce_ system. [Cross-border debit](http://www.acxsys.ca/services_payment.php) [/QUOTE] Good to know, and thank you, **Sunspace**. The last time I tried (and failed) to complete a US debit transaction using my Canadian (TD Bank) Interac card, was in 2002. Nice to know things have changed–as long as the retailer is using the right network. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/29 "2007-07-17T02:16:08Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] Good to know, and thank you, **Sunspace**. The last time I tried (and failed) to complete a US debit transaction using my Canadian (TD Bank) Interac card, was in 2002. Nice to know things have changed–as long as the retailer is using the right network. [/QUOTE] I get the impression that Nyce is mostly a New York system, but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/30 "2007-07-17T02:33:13Z")
The only time I’ve had problems using one of my Canadian credit cards at American pumps is when, for added security, you need to punch in your ZIP code on the keypad at the pump. I was able to pay at the cashier though. I can’t remember where this occured, but it was either in some small town in PA or possibly on the way to Massachussetts or Maine, and it would have been about 5 or 6 years ago. Canadian postal codes are alpha numeric, so I couldn’t figure out how to get the pump to behave. I was told later that the pumps will recognize non-US cards and all I needed to do was punch in 00000 and it would have worked, but I can’t corroborate this at all because I don’t remember who told me this and I’ve never had the occasion to test it. I’ve been able to use my Canadian ATM cards with no problem in U.S. ATMs but the service fees are criminal! Likewise, before I moved to Canada (and during the transition period) I had no problems using my U.S. bank card in Canadian ATMs. BUT debit card purchases often don’t work because the point of sale terminals aren’t necessarily on the right network. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689.md?page=1)