K so im goin to canada can i use my debit card there? how does that work?

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Tammi D

your bank might charge you an extra fee, so find out before you go.

princessarah77

Same way it does here - except it will clear for a slightly less amount when it goes through your bank. Canadian receipt will say $10, your bank statement will say $9. Although the Canadian dollar and American dollar are pretty close these days so you may not notice much of a difference!

Scott Evil

If you go buy something with your debit card, it will be charged the equivalent amount in US Dollars (assuming you're American) plus there will probably be some fee assessed by your bank. Sometimes it's 2.5%, sometimes it's just 50 cents. Depends on the bank.

gpatrick900

Yes if it has a MasterCard or Visa symbol on it.

Outside of the U.S. sometimes are Debit cards with the MasterCard or the Visa logo are recognized as an interac or other type of debit cards. So, we must tell the merchant to run the card as a Credit Card even through it will still come out of your checking account. However, sometimes it will work as a pin transaction if your card has the Maestro or Visa plus logo and the merchant takes those card and your bank support foreign pin transactions.

Side note some U.S. banks may have the interac symbol on the card, in this case it should work. To be one the safe side, run the card as a credit even through it will still come out of your checking account. Call your bank before your go. This way it will have a less chance of being blocked.

In Love

"Canada has a nation-wide EFTPOS system, called Interac Direct Payment. Since being introduced in 1984, IDP has become the most popular payment method in the country, surpassing even regular cash payments in 2001 .

In Canada, the debit card is sometimes referred to as a "bank card". It is simply a bank client card, issued by a bank, providing client access to funds and other bank account transactions, such as transferring funds, checking balances, paying bills, etc, as well as point of purchase transactions connected on the Interac network. Since its national launch in 1994, Interac Direct Payment has become so widespread that, as of 2001, more transactions in Canada were completed using debit cards than cash[citation needed]. This popularity may be partially attributable to two main factors: the convenience and safety of not having to carry cash (or at least, large amounts of cash) and the prevalence and availability of "bank machines" (automated teller machine or "ATM", or automated bank machine or "ABM") on the network. However, Canadians tend to use Interac more often than ABMs. Almost every merchant, restaurant, gas station, or service provider is equipped with Interac technology. Interac operates by means of a small hand held device located at the cash of every business. The customer swipes his card, enters his PIN, and accepts the purchase. The charges are immediately withdrawn from the customer's account.

Debit cards may be considered similar to stored-value cards in that they represent a finite amount of money owed by the card issuer to the holder. They are different in that stored-value cards are generally anonymous and are only usable at the issuer, while debit cards are generally associated with an individual's bank account and can be used anywhere on the Interac network. Debit cards usually offer some protection against loss, theft, or unauthorized use while stored-value cards usually do not.

In Canada, the bank cards can only be used at POS and ATM's. There are no Visa or MasterCard branded debit cards in Canada."

Ambivalence

Yes, you can use your debit card and it will work fine. However, much like there's a "prime" interest rate and then there are the slightly higher rates that lenders charge, there's an official exchange rate, and then there's the rate the bank is going to charge you on the debit, which is probably a little worse than the official exchange rate. Currently the Canadian dollar is a little stronger than the US dollar, so $1 US will get you a little less than 1 dollar Canadian.

And, as the above person mentions, the notion of Visa/Mastercard debit cards is foreign to Canadians. It's an either/or deal for us. Either it's a credit card OR it's a debit card. So just tell the cashier clearly how to treat it.

canadianguyniag

make sure you tell your bank before crossing the border or it wont always work

DonPedro

Words of wisdom. Don't use your debit card for retail purchases in a foreign country. ATM machine is ok but not to buy gas or at a smalll business.

Even if it is Canada.

wcome2myworld

gimee ur credit card no. and i'll check it out for you.

it's ok,
thank me later.

Muzicman

Some of the answers above have been pretty close though I think not quite hitting right on.

To my understanding anyway, and I could be wrong I suppose, if you are coming from the US (and possibly other countries), debit cards are simply pre-paid credit cards. They have a Mastercard or Visa logo on them, but they are not credit cards - you have not been lent money, there has been no credit check done on - you have preloaded funds on the card that decline as you use the card and once it has no value left you must reload or purchase a new card to use it again.

Because it has the logo of the a credit card company, you can generally use it any place that accepts cards from the credit card company indicated on the card. ie if you card has a Visa logo you should be able to use it with just about any merchant displaying a Visa logo. Pre-paid credit cards while new to Canada, are becoming increasingly popular.

Since in Canada debit card refers to your ATM card, I would imagine that when you are doing a transaction you would choose the Credit option rather than the Debit option, though I'm not sure about that (since the Debit option hooks up to Interac to look for a bank account). As far as exchange rate, I would think it would work the same way as a credit card transaction. The issuer of the card will take into account the exchange rate plus a percentage ie 2.5% and deduct that value from your balance.

You would be best to check these details with the issuer of your card ahead of time, or be prepared for some trial and error in case it does not work.

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