# Best Way to Change CAD currency to USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102 "2014-06-18T21:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pauly01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Pauly01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pauly01)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/1 "2014-06-18T21:58:00Z")
I have few hundred dollars thats CAD and will be returning back to the usa. Thus i wont be needing any more cad currency but still have few hundred dollars with me. Whats the best way for me to get my CAD exchanged to USD with lesser fees? I do have a bank of montreal bank account in cad and usd but i will be having it closed very soon before i leave canada. Is it better to do it there or do it back in the usa? I use bank of america in the usa. I do know the worst place to exchange currency are those places like those currency exchange places. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/2 "2014-06-18T23:03:35Z")
For a ‘few hundred dollars’ a few cents either way on the transaction is not really going to break the bank. Can’t you just deposit them in your BoA account? I am sure that you could also donate them to a good cause…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kazo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@Kazo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kazo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/3 "2014-06-18T23:57:26Z")
Banks typically have some minimum amount they’re willing to exchange. My coworker has a bunch of Ghana cedi that amounts to around $78 USD, but his bank said they wouldn’t change less than $300 USD worth. You could deposit it in your Canadian account, then use PayPal to “gift” that money to yourself. They do charge some fee that I don’t recall. Airports generally have a place that will do it for exhorbitant rates. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/4 "2014-06-19T01:29:30Z")
Just deposit it in your Canadian account and let it be included in the final amount when it is closed. Can you get that given to you in US dollars? (Admittedly, keeping the account open might be useful if you are going to have continued dealings with Canada… I wouln’t close it unless I had to or it had some huge monthly fee.) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/5 "2014-06-19T01:58:30Z")
American banks pretty much think of Canadian money the same way they think of North Korean money, and handle it with tongs. More than a few miles from the border, you won’t find anyone that will accept or change it. As for banks, if you’re lucky, your own bank will accept it on consignment, and bag it up and send it their corresponding bank in New York, and if you wait a month or so, it will be credited to your account, less about a 15% transaction fee. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/6 "2014-06-19T02:30:43Z")
Put it in your Montreal bank account then when you get to the US draw it all out from an ATM in USD. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/7 "2014-06-19T02:48:12Z")
I would just go to a BMO branch and ask to exchange it to USD. Banks usually give decent rates. ---
**Author:** ![Pauly01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Pauly01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pauly01)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/8 "2014-06-19T03:23:30Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Put it in your Montreal bank account then when you get to the US draw it all out from an ATM in USD. I can’t do this because i will be closing my bmo usd and cad accounts in canada when i leave soon… ---
**Author:** ![Pauly01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Pauly01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pauly01)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-change-cad-currency-to-usa/691102/9 "2014-06-19T03:25:05Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Just deposit it in your Canadian account and let it be included in the final amount when it is closed. Can you get that given to you in US dollars? (Admittedly, keeping the account open might be useful if you are going to have continued dealings with Canada… I wouln’t close it unless I had to or it had some huge monthly fee.) There is a small monthly fee that i have to pay for having a bmo bank account. The issue with this is im not sure if i will come back to canada ever again and they told me i cant close my bmo bank acct if im in the usa.