<p>Is there a way to order checks online in Canada? They're usually cheaper than getting them from the bank..."Thanks in advance" -xoxmom</p>
<p>xoxmom: My daughter almost never writes a check, like most kids these days.
She writes one a month, for her apartment rent. She uses the debit card and atm card all the time. So, a box of checks will most likely last the whole four years. I wouldn't worry too much about the cost difference. I think the checks at the RBC were $15-20 dollars, not enough to be a factor compared to the cost of her education.</p>
<p>Yes. Depends on the bank. I'm with TD so I just log into my online account and click the order cheques button when I need them (never).</p>
<p>A different post said that McGill will do a draft from a US account and the implication was that the exchange rate might be more favorable than you'd get by e.g. depositing money at RBC?</p>
<p>The McGill draft for the tuition,fees,etc. was new last year for American bank accounts and works very, very well. McGill gives a very good exchange rate, but RBC is not bad. I think the bank draft is definitely the way to proceed--otherwise we would have had to open up a corresponding account in the US and transfer the funds to a Canadian bank. It can take 10 days for your deposit to clear a Canadian bank. ( Of course, three years ago the US $ was 1.55 Canadian, it is now under $1.10, so McGill costs 30% more for American students). All the banks are near the McGill campus, we choose RBC because they had the most ATM's near my daughters dorm and on campus, but I think they are all fine.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info mcgilldad. You probably already know that RBC can have an account to which you can deposit US dollars into your daughter's RBC account more quickly than her depositing a US check at her local RBC branch, it's called a "centura" account. </p>
<p>Also if she has her US account at "bank of america" then she can use her bank-of-america atm card at Scotiabank to make cash withdrawals from her US bank without getting socked with international transaction fees. Also using bank-of-america online banking you can transfer $ from your US account to hers on the same day. </p>
<p>Because of the info I got from you, I think I will set up my bank-of-america acct so that I can transfer tuition $ to beloved son, then he can set up his McGill draft to take the $ from his bank-of-america acct. Last year I used the centura acct to send him $ for tuition and expenses but I think this is a better way.</p>
<p>My wife and I found RBC Centura to be a substantial pain in the derriere, esp. with the post 9/11 currency controls. They never did get our account right--when McGill developed the skill to draft right from my credit union account I said goodbye to Centura. We live only 1.5 hours away and bring her funds when she needs them for deposit directly into the local RBC. Besides, we are always looking for any excuse to visit MTL.</p>