<p>First, I agree with the points that Louie has made. In my travels the best way to pay for anything in order of best to worse is: 1: Credit card and pay off the balance in full when the bill comes, 2: Using an ATM for local currency which matches the logo on your non-credit card ATM only card, 3: local currency obtained from the best exchange rate that you can conveniently find (not too important as this is method #3 and I usually don't obtain too much cash this way, usually equal to US $100.00 or less so not too much to lose on a bad exchange rate) , 4: anything else. Two other issues come to mind. If you are a AAA member (maybe this should be method 2 1/2) you can obtain $100.00 in foreign currency at your local AAA office. It is the amount that $100.00 buys on the date they sealed the envelope, not the current exchange rate. It makes life simple for AAA. The other issue is dang near a scam in Canada, especially in Niagara on the Lake (which I love). To make a long story short, Canada changed the composition of their Loonies ($1) and perhaps their $2 coins. The older versions were attracted to a magnet. The new ones are not. The problem is that non-upgraded parking meters (and other coin devices) will not accept the new coins. It's only after I lost a few in a parking meter that a local passing by informed me of this and traded some of my shiny new coins for ones that will work in the meters. The meters did not have any warnings on them. They gladly ate my coins (1$ and $2) without giving me any time. I love Canada but this issue does not show them at their best.</p>
