Currency

Like all currencies, the Canadian dollar is prone to fluctuate. For information on exchange rates, please consult the Bank of Canada’s currency converter

Sales Tax in Canada
The GST or « Goods and Services Tax » is a 6% federal tax applicable on most goods and services offered in Canada. Since April 1, 1997, a 14,5% tax called the HST or « Harmonized Sales Tax » replaced the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) and GST in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

Tax Refund to Visitors
Visitors to Canada may apply for a refund of the GST/HST on certain items purchased in the country which they are taking home with them, as well as that applied to the cost of their hotel bill.

Application forms for the refund are available at all Canadian border crossings (Canada Customs), in tourism offices, and in some hotels. If you intend to apply for this rebate, you must keep all receipts as proof of purchase. Visitors to Quebec and Manitoba may also apply for a refund on the provincial sales tax. For details, visit a tourism information bureau in either province.

Tipping
Tips or service charges are not usually added to restaurant bills in Canada. As well, salary levels in many restaurants are based on the assumption that staff will receive a significant proportion of their income in tips.

If you are satisfied with the service received, a tip of 15 percent is customary. Following the introduction of the federal goods and services tax (GST), many Canadians have begun to tip on the pretax amount.

Some restaurants will place a mandatory service charge on a bill for a large party. Your waiter or waitress should explain this to you before you order.

Barbers, hairdressers and taxi drivers are also usually tipped at 15 percent.

Bellhops, doormen, redcaps (porters) and similar staff at hotels, airports and railway stations are generally paid $1 per item of luggage carried.

It is best to pay with a credit card, so that you can receive the very best exchange rate, as the credit card companies use the bank exchange rate.   If you use U.S. cash in Canada, it is at the vendor's discretion what (if any) exchange they will offer. If the traveler prefers to use cash, exchange the money at a bank prior to leaving for Canada, or at any branches of Canadian banks. Travelers can also access Canadian cash through ATM's, although they will pay the standard user's fee, as they do in the U.S.  Other services add in processing fees, reducing the actual rate of exchange.