Services

Principal Business

• Our principal business is the purchase and sale of foreign currencies. We regularly have on hand the money of more than 40 countries, and can usually obtain a number of others on short notice. We are prepared to buy the currencies of most countries, subject to market conditions. Whether buying or selling, we endeavour to do so at the best rates available in the region, and we do not make any service or other charge in connection with purchases or sales of cash.
• We usually have on hand a number of less-common currencies, some of which are difficult to obtain on a regular basis. In addition, with a few days' notice we can try to find the currency you need. Failing that, in certain countries a major Western currency may be acceptable and in some cases may be preferred. Our staff will try to advise.
• For the convenience of customers who have change left over after a trip, we will buy the larger coins of the major currencies, at a discount. We sell the coins of these currencies, at a more favourable rate than for banknotes. Please note that we no longer buy the old coins of the 13 Euro countries.

Advance Ordering

• Please let us know if you would like to order in advance a particular sum of foreign money. In this way you can be certain that the currency you need will be available when you travel. There is no charge for this service, but we may ask for a deposit if the currency is a less-common one or if the amount is large. Likewise, if you wish to sell a less-common currency or a large amount, it will help us to give good service if you call us in advance.

Cheques

• We are able to issue cheques in foreign currencies, including pounds Sterling, U.S. dollars, Euros and a number of others. We are prepared to buy such cheques in appropriate circumstances.

Direct Conversion Between U.S. and Foreign Currencies

• To serve our customers from the United States, we have the ability to make a direct conversion between U.S. dollars and any other currency. There is no need to incur the additional exchange cost of converting to Canadian dollars, for example, if you are exchanging New Zealand dollars for U.S. dollars or vice versa.

Banknote Miscellany

• If you find that you have some obsolete banknotes, they may still have value. Some countries withdraw banknotes from circulation when they change designs (or, as happened in the 13 Euro countries, when they changed currencies). Such notes may no longer be acceptable for day-to-day transactions but may continue to be redeemable for a time. You may be able to redeem them on a future trip, or in some cases we may be prepared to buy them, though at a discount. Our staff can advise.
• Some countries issue banknotes in larger denominations than we are used to dealing with in Canada. For example, the 13 Euro countries issue a 500 Euro note (worth approximately $800 in Canadian funds) and Switzerland has a note of 1,000 francs (about $900). While some European visitors are comfortable with denominations of this size, and bring them to us to exchange, we know that most Canadians are not accustomed to carrying such large bills. To encourage our Canadian customers to consider taking the larger denominations we sometimes sell them at a slight discount, depending on market conditions. If you are interested, please contact us.

Payment Options

• We accept payment in cash, by travellers' cheque, certified cheque, bank draft and bank debit card (interac). We regret that we cannot accept payment by personal cheque or credit card.