dg31

Last week I was on holiday in Orlando. To my surprise, and concern, most places (including the theme parks) wouldn't accept my Canadian debit card (PC Financial, Interac) though I could use my Canadian Mastercard (until I reached my credit limit anyway).

Does anyone have any advice on ways around this? I investigated a few of the banks' websites and some offer a US account linked to your main one and I believe CIBC have a Visa debit card, which could be used internationally, so what's the best, and cheapest, way of using my money outside of Canada?

Thanks.

magnumpi

I always use my Visa for buying food gas ect and Debit to draw cash from any US ABM.

Try not to draw cash on the Visa as it is more $$$ to pay back.

dg31

Thanks, which Visa though? Most Canadian debit cards (according to my bank - but then they would say that...) can't be used outside of the country so is yours a Visa credit card? And the debit card can be used to get cash for a fee?

shelley748

There was a change in the US ATM 's and apparently they made the decision to not take certain cards.

shelley748

Your bank should do a USD credit card- use that and then pay bill off when it comes in.

magnumpi

Yeh TD visa CRedit, mine are both separate still. OH has the visa/debit, that would not compute in US so we gave up before we lost it in the ABM

Ben W Bell

Interac is a Canadian thing, can't be used anywhere else in the world. A Visa Debit is what you want if you wish to use a debit card elsewhere, just the same as UK cards where Solo couldn't outside the country. Many Canadian client debit cards are connected to Plus or Cirrus which can be used outside the country in ATMs, but not via merchants as debit.

Basically you need a card that uses the international credit card systems, and that leaves you with Visa Debit or the Mastercard equivalent. They don't get processed by the merchant as a debit, they're treated as a credit card through the system until it gets processed to your account when it's finalized at Visa's side.

dbd33

What's wrong with using money? It's accepted everywhere, you don't hold up other customers while your debit transaction clunks along to the bank and back and you probably don't need the cashier to explain how to use it every time you want to buy something. It even works during power cuts.

Novocastrian

You can use Interac debit cards elsewhere (dunno about Florida) so long as it has the "Plus" symbol on the back. I've recently made cash withdrawals in France, UK and Germany with my TD Green machine thingy.

You can't use it in shops though. For that you need a credit card.

stuham33

When we are in the states, I draw cash from the ATM with my PC financial debit card, and as others have said credit card for everything else.

Novocastrian

Oops. That's what you said isn't it? Sorry Ben, I didn't read it all the first time.

haggis88

wish i could get a VISA debit, it would be handy for internet shopping when they don't have a paypal option!

Ben W Bell

russjp

Go and open a TD account, you`ll get a visa debit card straight away

dg31

A $200 daily withdrawal limit and ATM fees for starters...

Looking at a BMO account with US Mastercard at the moment