Mackinac Bridge will no longer accept Canadian cash starting in October

Save your loonies and toonies folks, it's only dollars on the Mighty Mac starting in October.

The Mackinac Bridge Authority announced it will no longer accept Canadian cash for tolls come October, citing an unattractive exchange rate and an arduous processing operation. The authority charges $8 Canadian for the $4 U.S. toll, currently $1 Canadian exchanges for about $0.76 U.S.

Because of this exchange rate, travelers typically opt for paying using cards rather than cash, according to the MBA. The authority typically generates $4,000 in Canadian cash each month, compared to about $2 million in U.S. currency. The heightened toll for Canadian cash is due to the authority's exchange process, which includes transporting the cash in an armored vehicle to a bank and paying wire fees.

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“We’re certainly not looking to inconvenience our customers, but we’re one of very few businesses or agencies in Michigan that accepts Canadian cash,” said Mackinac Bridge Director Kim Nowack in a release Tuesday. “We do have a lot of Canadian customers who currently use credit or debit cards to pay the toll, those customers get a better exchange rate through their credit card company than we can offer them. In fact, when they learn that the toll will be double when paying with cash, many of them choose to pay by card instead.”

The authority will no longer accept Canadian cash starting Oct. 1.

mmarini@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mackinac Bridge will no longer accept Canadian cash