Jocelyn Lamothe

Short bio

I'm a Quebec-based software developer and the editor of CAD2USD.ca. I built this site because the information Canadians need to convert CAD to USD without paying 2–3% in invisible bank markups exists — but it's scattered across dense brokerage threads, forum posts, regulator PDFs and bank rate sheets that change quarterly. CAD2USD.ca pulls that material together, makes the math explicit, and cites every source, in plain English and plain French.

I also edit USD2CAD.ca — the same approach applied to the reverse direction (converting US dollars to Canadian dollars).

Why I built this site

The big Canadian banks earn billions of dollars a year on the 2.5% FX markup they add to every foreign-currency credit card purchase and every CAD→USD account transfer. Most of their customers have no idea. The information needed to opt out — knowing about Norbert's Gambit, Wise, no-foreign-transaction-fee cards, USD-denominated bank accounts — exists, but it's scattered across dense brokerage threads, forum posts, and policy PDFs. CAD2USD.ca pulls that together with the math made explicit and the sources cited, in plain English and plain French.

How I research and verify

For every article :

• Exchange rates come from the Bank of Canada Valet API (bankofcanada.ca/valet/observations/FXUSDCAD/json), the official daily reference rate.
• Bank fees, credit card terms, and broker commissions are verified against the issuer's own product page within the past 14 days before publication or update.
• Regulatory facts (RAMQ residency rules, CDIC coverage, FINTRAC reporting thresholds, IRS Substantial Presence Test) come from the regulator's own current publication.
• Every dollar comparison ("you save $278 on a $10,000 transfer") is calculated from a specific dated BoC observation cited in the methodology section of the article.

The full process is documented on the Editorial Policy and Methodology pages.

Norbert's Gambit threshold

For CAD → USD conversions above CA$6,800 (~$5,000 USD), Norbert's Gambit via Questrade ($9.95/leg) or Disnat ($0 since 2022) becomes cheaper than Wise's variable fee. Below that, Wise wins on cost. This threshold is benchmarked quarterly.

Affiliate links and editorial independence

This site is financed by affiliate partnerships, currently primarily with Wise via Partnerize. Other Canadian financial partnerships (Knightsbridge FX, OFX, Questrade, Wealthsimple, Amex Canada) are in progress. Affiliate relationships do not influence my rankings. Cards I earn nothing on (Home Trust Preferred Visa, EQ Bank Card) are recommended where the math puts them. Cards that pay well but have weak terms get flagged or omitted. Full details on the Affiliate Disclosure page.

Contact

For corrections, story tips, or anything else : contact@cad2usd.ca or via the contact form.