Derick Rethans on :
It's indeed no problem to get it from a wall; it's interesting though that you can't get any euros. Here in europe i can go to any bank and get like 20 different kinds of currency (including CAD 
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Monday, April 26. 2004Canadian Banks
I always thought of Canada being an progressive country with ties to various economic markets that make it easier for it's citizens to engage in cross-border commerce. Alas this seems to be only true when dealing with our neighbor to the south, the US. In preparation to my upcoming trip to Netherlands I went to my bank to get some (small amount) of Euros. However, after speaking to the teller and the bank manager I quickly found out that my home branch does not carry any foreign currency other then US dollars. Calls from the branch to other nearby branches of my own bank as well as other banks have yielded the same response, "no Euros". So, how can I get some Euros? Well, I have to order them and wait no less then 5 business days, before getting my hands on this rather unusual currency. The explanation for the delay that Canadian banks often do not have any currency on hand and need to go to currency exchange house to buy the currency themselves, unless someone miraculously decides to trade in their Euros for Canadian Pecos.
More over I cannot choose what denomination of bills will I get, meaning that they could easily give me 2 $100 bills or 20 $10 etc... which is not an ideal situation while traveling. In my experience most small stores will refuse to accept large bills for fear of forgery, meaning that I am likely to be in a situation where I need to exchange my bills for something more portable upon arrival. Keep in mind that this is happening in Toronto, Canada's largest city by far, not some small backwater village in the middle of nowhere, where perhaps no one had even heard of Euros. It seems that there is no requirement that even small quantities of foreign currency be kept on hand in the unlikely event a Canadian would decide to travel to a country other then the US. Trackbacks
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Ilia Alshanetsky on :
The issue is not so much that I cannot get Euros elsewhere, but the fact that the premier financial institutions in Canada do not carry even minute amounts of one of the world's primary currencies.
P.S. In Canada banks while private companies are tightly controlled by the government. Wez on :
Even the UK has poor Euro support; in the few places that even accept Euros, you have to wait for *the* person that has been Euro trained to come and operate *the* dedicated Euro till.
Everyone should just use Sterling anyway
Colin Viebrock on :
Did you try one of the larger branches downtown? I'm pretty sure I had no trouble getting Euros from them. I know I got UK Pounds and, heck, even Schekels when I went to Israel back in 2000.
Damien Seguy on :
Actually, I got the same answer here, in Montreal. They didn't even search the area : the teller sent me directly downtown, to the main branch or to the branches in Vieux Montréal, where tourists are.
Eric Moore on :
Just curious -- granted this thread is a little old. Why did you need physical Euros? We're you sending the Euros overseas?
Otherwise, ATMs in Europe (and elsewhere) tend to provide better exchange rates and lower fees than exchange houses or banks. |
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