Canada holiday - spending money

[Mykingdomforanickname]

Going on a tour of the Rockies. Main expenditure while there will be meals out. Will I be fine with my (UK issued) Mastercard for most things or am I likely to find a lot of places won't accept it? TIA

We only had visa when we went Canada but had no trouble using it.

We since been to W USA with a Halifax Clarity Card, which is MasterCard and has no foreign charges, and used it extensively with no problem.

So I guess you will be fine. Do you have any other CC as back up?

In the Rockies? I’d take a Visa and cash with me too just in case, because Internationally issued Mastercards aren’t as universally accepted in the US / Canada due to higher charges.

Thank you both. Do you know whether a Visa debit card would be equally widely accepted as a Visa credit card?

No it won’t be. International debit cards incur higher merchant charges so most businesses don’t take them. I had problems even in New York and Toronto. Best to stick with credit

Stick with a credit card, not debit card for the high charges reason above.
Yes, if you have time to apply for a Halifax Clarity credit card which doesn't charge fees when abroad. It's MasterCard, but I used mine widely in Canada without any issues at all

It's always good to take some cash mind you, just in case!

Don't bother with debit

Mastercard is quite widely accepted, and you can use it to withdraw cash at an ATM if you need to.

I’m near the Rockies/travel there regularly and they take MasterCard everywhere.

Wouldn’t you be better with a pre-loaded currency card like Fair FX? Less transaction charges than a credit card. I used their app to just top up with my online banking and no hidden charges.

A belated thank you for the replies! Advice taken on board!

Starling bank account get the MasterCard day rate.

No charges and it’s a current account so can load as you need no need to pre load.