* Converted at USD/CAD mid-market rate, scroll-down to compare Send Money and Travel/Spend exchange rates.
Interbank mid-market rate We compare bank & FX provider rates to this wholesale mid-market rate. Read more
If risk sentiment continues to improve, the CAD is well placed to extend recent gains. In the longer term, there is a perception Canada will enjoy a renewed close trade relationship with the US, with Biden as US President. USD-CAD Forecasts
Comparing USD/CAD Exchange Rates
You should always check the total cost for any exchange rate you are provided by banks or FX specialists. These exchange rates almost always contain a margin from the wholesale USD/CAD rate ( interbank mid-rate) plus fixed or percentage fees.
These margins and fees can vary significantly for USD to CAD International Money Transfers, Travel Money and prepaid multi-currency Travel Card transactions. Note the total cost will also vary on the currencies and total amount being exchanged.
Calculate other USD/CAD amounts (from or to) at mid-market with our USD to CAD Calculator .
Country Guides - Canadian dollar
![]() |
How to get Good USD to CAD Exchange Rates
There are two important ways to save on Foreign Exchange, the first is minimising unnecessary or excessive costs and fees, and the other is to transact when the exchange rate is in your favour.
Reduce Excessive costs and fees
All foreign exchange providers charge a fee for providing their service and this fee is usually contained within the exchange rate margin (or difference to the mid-rate).
The transaction margin you end up being charged can be considerably reduced by around a few percent (of total amount being exchanged) for travel money and possibly over 5% to 6% when sending money. The exact potential savings depends on the currencies being exchanged and the amount you are transferring and if you are willing to shop around.
Our real-time foreign transfer and travel money/cards comparison calculators make shopping around easy and help you calculate how much you can save.
What is a good USD to CAD exchange rate?
This is always a difficult question as exchange rates are influenced by many factors, so a good method to consider the US dollar vs Canadian dollar current value is to look the USD/CAD historic rate and change over a range of periods.
The following table looks at the change in the USD to CAD exchange rate over periods from the previous week back to the last 10 years.
USD/CAD | Change | Period |
---|---|---|
1.2563 12 Apr 2021 | 0.3% ▼ | 1 Week |
1.2525 20 Mar 2021 | 0% ▲ | 30 Days |
1.2722 19 Jan 2021 | 1.5% ▼ | 90 Days |
1.4052 19 Apr 2020 | 10.8% ▼ | 1 Year |
1.2669 20 Apr 2016 | 1.1% ▼ | 5 Years |
0.9527 22 Apr 2011 | 31.5% ▲ | 10 Years |
USD/CAD 10 year historic rates & change to 19-Apr-2021 : 1.2531
Will the US dollar rise against the Canadian dollar?
It is almost impossible to predict what an exchange rate will do in the future, the best approach is to monitor the currency markets and transact when an exchange rate moves in your favour.
To help with this you can add USD/CAD to your BestExchangeRates My Rates Watchlist to track and benefit from currency movements.
Rather than requiring you to set a target rate, our FX Alerts work differently.
Once you add a currency pair for tracking in your watchlist we will automatically check the exchange rate for any UP▲ or DOWN▼ move over a range of periods over the recent 90 days.