Mackinac Bridge no longer accepting Canadian money on Oct. 1

ST. IGNACE, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Mackinac Bridge will no longer take Canadian money as a toll fee.

Starting Oct. 1, would-be bridge travelers cannot use Canadian cash to pay to cross. The bridge authority cited the relatively little use by customers and the cost of exchanging currency as a reason to scrap the policy.

"As the Mackinac Bridge is not an international bridge, and we cannot offer an attractive exchange rate to customers, the Authority has decided to stop accepting Canadian currency," said Mackinac Bridge Director Kim Nowack. "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."

The bridge typically receives about $4,000 in Canadian money each year.

The cost of accepting a foreign currency can be high, the authority said.

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When it receives Canadian currency, it has to seek two exchange rates from two different banks. Then it must pay for an armored vehicle to transport the cash. 

"We do have a lot of Canadian customers who currently use credit or debit cards to pay the toll," Nowack said. "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."