US money in Montreal and Quebec city (credit card, cost)

[h1478971]

is US money accepted in all the shops in Montreal and Quebec City?

I was wondering since when I went there maybe I should not of exchanged my US Dollars for CADs.

[lucknow]

US dollars are accepted pretty much anywhere in Canada. It's not a good idea to do that though because it will cost you probably at least 5% or more than you could exchange the money for at the bank or money exchange. I'm back and forth all the time and I always use USD in the USA and CAND in Canada.

[dougie86]

Check online the exchange rate(s) for that day, when you are ready to change your money at a local bank in US.

Today's rates from 2 different online sources:

XE: (USD/CAD) US Dollar to Canadian Dollar Rate
Mid-market rates: 2011-12-02 02:07 UTC
1.00 USD = 1.01416 CAD

Currency Converter - Yahoo! Finance
United States Dollar (US) $1 = Canadian Dollar (CAD) C$1.0142

Then go to a few banks to get the best quote and get the best deal for that day.

p.s.
And once you are in Montreal, you can also use your credit card to draw C$ at the ATM machine.

[barneyg]

US money will be accepted in all tourist areas and sometimes elsewhere but as others have mentioned, the exchange rate will vary and if you venture away from tourist areas, some people are going to give you a "wtf, can't you pay in CDN like everybody else" look. if you're not afraid of paying a $3-5 fee, you can go to any bank ATM and withdraw a large chunk of money there, and you should be OK for most of your trip.

[jzhang1]

Get a decent checking account. I use Charles Schwab for my checking account and they rebate all ATM fees, both foreign and domestic. So when I go abroad I can use local ATMs and get exchange rates that are within 2% of interbank rates (the best available to professional forex traders). Any ATM fees charged is rebated to my account automatically by Schwab.

[pci2k]

In Montreal, I always use the Califorex on Peel to exchange my US dollars. I always get a very good rate. They also have a location on Ste. Catherine at Eaton Centre.
Calforex Foreign Exchange Montreal | Exchange Rates | Wires | Drafts | Montréal, QC - Rue Peel -
Calforex Foreign Exchange | Exchange Rates | Wires | Drafts | Bank Notes | -

As for Quebec City, I have never been there, so I cannot comment.

[NorthNJ]

Most stores I went to in Montreal accepted U.S. dollars but gave you Canadian dollar back as change. The rate is overall the same