Using Money and Credit Cards in Canada/New England

As you plan for your upcoming Christian cruise with Inspiration, you may be wondering about using money and credit cards during your travels. We’ve made the following recommendations to help you save money, avoid unnecessary fees and focus on an exceptional travel experience.

• Consider leaving all unnecessary debit and/or credit cards at home.
• Once you determine which cards you’ll bring, remember to notify each credit card company of your intended travel dates and locations to ensure fraud alerts and holds are not placed on your accounts.
• For each card, you’ll want to store the bank’s contact information in a separate, secure location in the unlikely event your wallet or purse is lost or stolen.
• We strongly recommend visiting your bank a few weeks before your trip to request foreign currencies (most banks need a few weeks to process this request). Doing this will save you time waiting in currency exchange lines or searching for an ATM after you arrive, and likely save you money by using a better exchange rate.

Almost all Canadian destinations accept U.S. credit or debit cards. If you’re planning to use your credit cards, you’ll want to check with each credit card company to determine the international exchange fee for each card. Because the difference of a few percentage points could wind up costing you hundreds of dollars (depending on your purchases), we recommend using cards with lower international exchange fees. Using your credit card for large purchases gives you more protection for the items you buy on your trip (you can look at your credit card statement to verify all of your purchases). Currency can also be exchanged on the ship while on a cruise.

The Canadian Dollar (C$) is roughly equivalent to the U.S. dollar, and U.S. dollars are widely accepted throughout Canada. When paying in U.S. dollars expect change in Canadian Dollars so bring small bills with you. If traveling with currency other than the U.S. dollar you may exchange money onboard the ship, although we always recommend checking the exchange rate before traveling to a foreign country.

For more information please call one of our Reservation Coordinators at 800 247 1899, Monday through Friday between 8:30am-5:00pm, Pacific Time.