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Currency/Tipping, Victoria
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Shops in downtown Victoria - Victoria
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by Carmanah
Victoria Local Customs: Travel tips and advice posted by real travelers and Victoria locals.
Currency/Tipping
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Victoria Currency/Tipping ReviewsTips 1 - 8 of 8  
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Currency/Tipping: Currency: Every day at work I...
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  • Updated By bacon_girl on November 8, 2003
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    Every day at work I would deal with people who were confused in some way about Canadian currency. So here are all of our coins and their names: penny – 1 cent, nickel – 5 cents, dime – 10 cents, quarter – 25 cents, loonie – one dollar, twoonie – two dollars. The one-dollar coin is gold, and is called a loonie because there is a picture of a loon on one side. The two-dollar coin is gold in the middle with a silver ring around it. It is called a twoonie because it came out after the loonie had been around for a while and that’s just what people decided to call it. It might help to remember that the one-dollar coin is one colour, and the two-dollar coin is two colours. There are no one dollar or two dollar bills around anymore, although some banks in the United States still seem to be giving out Canadian two dollar bills to travelling Americans.

    All prices are listed in Canadian dollars. Tax is not included in the price. Some of the souvenir shops (such as the ones I worked at) will have conversion charts posted so that Americans can figure out the approximate US dollar prices. Places that do not cater exclusively to tourists will not have this kind of information available. Right now one American dollar is worth about $1.50 Canadian, so when converting prices just keep in mind that the American price is about two-thirds of the Canadian price. Also, many businesses will accept US cash but by law will have to give you Canadian change. So don’t use a US $100 bill to buy a few postcards unless you plan to stay in Canada long enough to use up all the cash you’ll get in change. If you pay with a credit card, the price will go through in Canadian dollars and be shown in Canadian dollars on your receipt. Then when you get your bill, a conversion will be shown and you will be charged in the currency of your own country. You will be given the bank rate of the day. This fluctuates every day, so the only people who know exactly what it is on any given day are those working at banks and possibly currency exchanges.

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    Currency/Tipping: Tipping: Generally speaking,...
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  • By bacon_girl on August 25, 2002
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    Generally speaking, gratuities are not included in the price of the bill. At a restaurant it is customary to tip at least 15% extra if the service was adequate. You do not include the cost of alcohol or taxes when calculating this. Of course, if the service was very good you are welcome to pay more. Anything less than 10% is usually considered rude, unless you genuinely were mistreated, in which case you should ask to speak to a manager anyway. Part of the tip goes to the server and the rest is divided among kitchen staff and the person who seated you at your table. So everyone who had a part in making your meal benefits from the tip. Eating food at a pub follows the same 15% guideline for the food. At bars though, there isn’t really a rule for tipping. Usually the bartenders have a tip jar for people to throw money into, so if someone’s doing a good job you should toss some cash into it. Bartenders tend to do quite well for tips, since people usually get more generous when they get sloshed.

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    Currency/Tipping: Keep spare change handy for...
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  • By Carmanah on August 25, 2002
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  • Currency/Tipping - Victoria
    by Carmanah
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    Keep spare change handy for all the buskers, whether they're bagpipers like this guy here, or living statues, singers, magicians or entertainers. They're *all* over Victoria! Sometimes you'll really want to reward them, so keep some extra money aside. Believe me!
    Photo: A young kilt-clad bagpipe player standing next to a totem pole. Photo by me!

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    Currency/Tipping: Using Canadian dollars vs. American dollars
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  • Updated By Carmanah on June 22, 2007
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  • Shops in downtown Victoria - Victoria
    Shops in downtown Victoria
    by Carmanah
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    Victoria is a touristy-friendly city and is very close to the USA. Because American tourists make up the majority of the tourists in Victoria, I feel that this is a valuable point to mention.

    While you can pay for things initially with US dollars, you will always be given your change back in Canadian dollars/coins. Right now because the exchange rate is so close, a lot of businesses are taking US dollars at par. As a result, you lose more money by paying with US dollars than if you were to use your credit card, debit card, or Canadian cash.

    This is because the US dollar is a foreign currency in Canada and it is not considered legal tender. American tourists are the only people that use American dollars in Canada, for example. Businesses that accept US dollars do so as a courtesy, not because it's mandatory. It is certainly not law to accept foreign currency.

    Also worth knowing is that American coins are taken at par in Canada (they're the same denominations - pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, although we also have a dollar and 2 dollar coin in Canada). So while $1.00 dollar bill US should theoretically purchase $1.06 Canadian, four US quarters will only ever be $1.00 Canadian, regardless of the exchange rate.

    The easiest way to obtain Canadian dollars is to simply withdraw money from a bank machine. This goes for all international visitors. Your bank does the exchange rate automatically and will then give you Canadian dollars. Bank machines generally dispense $20 bills, and sometimes $10, $50, or $100 denominations.

    Even if you don't intend to spend with cash, it's handy having some Canadian coins and dollars because things like parking meters, bus fare boxes, vending machines, and automated ticket machines will only accept Canadian coins/dollars in their slots.

    And please, refrain from calling US dollars "real dollars" or "real money" and Canadian dollars "funny money" or "monopoly money" because it's a sign of disrespect and arrogance, whether intended or not.

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    Currency/Tipping: Tipping - Not Required, But Earned
  • By 2snoopy on April 9, 2004
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  • In my view good service earns a tip, bad service earns a lesser tip or non at all. Generally 15% is acceptable. For exceptional service 20% is my norm. In general, I have found wait staff service lacking in Victoria, whether at a nice restaurant or a pub. I've left several restaurants and pubs thinking that tourists are treated as second class citizens. Victoria is a tourist city and there are several businesses and locales that thrive off of tourists, but that doesn't seem to resonate will with those providing service. Not sure why. We spend our money and are taxed like crazy. We support your community. If you want to earn a few extra dollars, treat the tourists better.

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    Currency/Tipping: Don't Spend US Currency At Stores
  • By 2snoopy on April 9, 2004
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  • Plan well and pickup Canadian currency in advance of your trip. Just about everyone will accept US currency, but I think you are shorted in the long run. It seems like everyone has a different exchange rate, so there is definitely a profit in the stores favor.

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    Currency/Tipping: American coins are on par with Canadian coins
  • By suziezed on July 13, 2004
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  • Please excuse me if you think this is a silly tip but I just wanted to point out that American coins (quarters, dimes, nickels etc) are NOT considered eligible for preferential exchange in stores or banks.

    So if you are shopping somewhere and see something listed for $1 Canadian if you pay for it with an American dollar bill you'll receive some change back (unless there is tax on it that uses up the difference between an American and Canadian dollar). But if you pay for it with 4 American quarters you will not get any change.

    Also take note that American coins will probably not work in parking meters, pay phones and vending machines so have some Canadian change handy for those things.

    CustomHouse (see website below) has many outlets in Victoria - they have a currency converter on their website that is useful.

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  • Website: http://www.customhouse.com/index.htm

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    Currency/Tipping: i live here so....
  • Updated By megriff on March 30, 2007
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  • tipping: the service you receive in any restaurant/bar/pub whatever, should NOT be rewarded based on the cost of the food. for example: you could get good service at a steakhouse where the meal was $50 and you want to give the standard 15% thats $7.50. now if you eat at a pub and your meal is only $25, the same good service and consequent 15% tip would be $3.75. not cool. so basically, knowing that range of percentages, you know that between $4 and $8 dollars is perfect for good service anywhere REGARDLESS OF THE COST OF THE FOOD!!


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