Do you think that if Canadians had dollar bills instead of loonies it would be better?

As a Canadian, I enjoy having coins instead of bills. It’s a lot easier to identify the money. When I traveled to New York and other places in the states, I would give a bigger bill as a tip (and so many waitresses were nice enough to notice and point it out).

Canadian ex-patriot here. The switch to dollar coins happened in the 80s, I think, because while bills are cheaper to make coins last so much longer as to make the switch very much worth it from a fiscal standpoint. I know the US could save millions annually with such a switch, though various interests (including the cotton lobby) prevent this from happening.

I remember when I moved to the States for the first time one of my greatest annoyances were the dollar bills. It seemed like I had so much more money in my wallet than I actually did because of those stupid dollar bills.

What people like better is really a matter of preference, but if you like your government to not spend more than is necessary dollar coins are the way to go.

I love coins. the metal, the weight, the shininess, the taste, brilliant. Especially the two coloured 1 and 2 euro coins.

Canada used to have $1 bills and $2 bills….I still have a few of them in my collection. They decided the coins made more sense and it was something presumably accepted easily by the Canadian people. I suppose if enough Canadians begin to clamor for paper ones, the government would switch back.

I wish we could just come up with some secure way of electronically tracking all your information, then I wouldn’t need a wallet at all. Screw privacy, I choose convenience.

It’s funny, I’m American by nationality and by birth and lived there for 18 years before moving up here for the last 14 months. I thought the coins would be weird and a detriment, but I actually have come to enjoy them a lot. They do help you identify that you have less money, and the coins are convenient and good, for being such a nominal amount.

As an aside, I also enjoy the Canadian colored money now, when I thought it would be weird and confusing, and before American money got colorful. I still haven’t had much experience with the colorful American money.

I can’t believe I didn’t know this. Your question sounded like nonsense to me, because I never heard of Loonies. Man, am I out of touch or what?

@YARNLADY Yeah, loonies are their $1 coins (because it has a loon on the front, they’re about the size of a silver dollar but bronze in color) and toonies, their $2 coins (because they think they’re clever with their combining two and loonies) and they’re a bit bigger, with silver ring around the outside, and a bronze interior.

@samanthabarnum—thank you for the info. I was in Windsor about 30 years ago, right around the time of the change, I guess, but I don’t recall reading anything about it. I have got to get out more.

We, of course, used to have a 1 dollar bill, and they are still legal tender. Neither are worth much these days, but the loonie is kind of a crazy, funky looking coin that is handy at the parking meter. I rarely see them these days anyway as my kids seem to feel entitled to any change that may be trapped in any crevice of my pants, car, drawers (the wooden ones) or sofas. So maybe i will ask them as they probably don’t think of them as so loonie.

I prefer the looney and tooney coins. I wish the US would do this. And I wish out money’s colours were different for each denomination.

And I still have some Australian bills. They’re in pretty colours and I like the material they’re made of, a polymer of some kind, I guess.

It would be better for the Canadians as they wouldn’t be so looney.

Hell no, loonies and twonies (we did have $2 bills, I have some saved) are awesome and I don’t mind the weight at all. They were thinking of making a $5 coin but then people drew the line, myself included. Plus they were bills beforehand and were changed to coins, so I would hope there was a reason for doing so (such as the willingness to spend a coin versus a dollar bill).

I wish we’d get rid of $1 bills here in the U.S. What can you buy for a dollar any more, anyway? It would save the Treasury a lot of money, as they have to mint $1 notes in staggering numbers, and they only last around 8 months in circulation before they have to be recalled and destroyed. Coins last decades. However, every attempt we’ve made at producing a dollar coin has been a miserable failure. Congress needs to get tough and force George out of circulation.

@IchtheosaurusRex They can’t even decide to get rid of the penny, which costs more to mint than it is even worth. What can you buy for $1? I take it you haven’t been in the dollar store