I’m headed to Vancouver in less than two weeks for my honeymoon.* A Google search was not particularly helpful aside from answering questions about travel visas and firearms, so I thought I’d ask the Teeming Canucks.
Will my Cingular cell phone work in Canada? Will I be charged through the roof for minutes? Assuming it doesn’t work or it’s expensive, can I get a phone card for calling the States relatively cheaply?
How much should I tip in cabs and restaurants?
Will my debit card work in Canada to buy stuff in stores? (I assume it will work in ATMs.) It’s a Visa card on the Interlink and Plus networks. Are the ATM surcharges outrageous?
Anything else I should know?
*Thank you, by the way, to everyone who gave me advice in my other thread. I got lots of good advice for fun stuff to do. Now I’m sorry I’ll only be there six days.
Here are some answers supplied by my brother in Vancouver:
Yes, probably at about $1.00 per minute (consult the Cingular web site for more info)
Standard tipping rates are about 15-20% or more if you believe you get exceptional service, but never less.
As long as your debit card is on the PLUS system, yes. My debit card issued in Vancouver will work in Honolulu. (Additional: if it’s a Visa debit card that also functions as a credit card but takes money out of your bank account, that’ll work just fine. As for service fees, call the number on the Visa card.)
Be aware that what a Canadian calls a debit card has no Visa or Mastercard logo.
Canadian debit cards work through the Interac system, a national cash-disbursal and point-of-sale system, to which pretty much all banks and merchants belong. (Look for the yellow logo.)
I’m not even sure whether any Canadian banks issue debit cards that use the Visa/MC system. You will see cards that have both an Interac logo and a Visa/MC logo; those are credit cards and debit cards combined in one, but the debit function requires the Interac network.
If you go to buy something and say you’ll pay by debit card, the average Canadian cashier will expect an Interac card at the point-of-sale terminal. Just say you are paying by Visa or Mastercard. I think that would work, but I’d check with your bank first. I don’t know whether your non-Visa/MC debit card will work in Canadian POS terminals.
This topic (along with check cards) confused the heck out of me until several US Dopers set me straight. It’s a case where the language is similar enough to obscure important differences.
Note: I believe there are a few places where Interac debit cards will work at point-of-sale terminals in the northern states now. And Interac debit cards will also work overseas in ATMs on the Cirrus or Plus systems (depending on the issuing bank)–in 2000 I used mine in ATMs all the way across Europe. But in Canada, all the ATMs that accept Cirrus or Plus also accept Interac, so it makes no difference here.
With the package on the second link you’d pay 60 cents a minute.
Cabs you’d round up to the dollar and add a buck or several bucks depending on the distance. Many Canadians tip between 10 to 15% at restaurants, 15% is considered reasonable, some tip more. You should not tip at all for poor service – “never tip less” is simply bad advice. I tip 20% if the service is exceptional.
Most stores accept debit and credit cards. Variety (convenience) stores often require a minimum $10 or $20 purchase or add a fee from $0.15 to $1.00; Tim Horton’s coffee joint does not accept plastic. Most places do.
Your Cingular cell phone will almost certainly work in Vancouver—my daughter’s did. The charge was US 0.79 per minute, with (as far as I can calculate) a US 0.115 p/m international tax. That’s on the 1,000 shared minute family plan; yours may have a different rate structure. BTW, the rate code was INC0.
On the face if it, you could save a fair chunk of change by purchasing a prepaid card; be aware, however, that they do come with strings attached, especially if you’re calling from a pay phone.
But don’t let the spectre of phone bills trouble you—it’s your honeymoon, fercryinoutloud! And I hope it’s merely the prelude to many years of pleasant memories.