Canadian Things that Confuse Americans | American Reacts 

As soon as you said, he put your credit card down on the table and the waiter comes over and takes it away, every Canadian in the chat cringed

I was today years old when I learned that Americans don't have portable debit machines

"Needing the Machine?" = Canadians NEVER hand over their Credit or Debit cards to anyone now days. Handing over your card to a server or a fast food cashier is one of the most uncomfortable things to get use to in the US. How do you know that they are not skimming you card?

To clarify, Hydro refers specifically to hydroelectricity, massive portions of Canada are powered by hydro dams. Not all electrical bills are Hydro bills, but all hydro bills are electrical bills.

Wait till he finds out that the machine does the tip math for you too

The fact restaurants in states don’t have the machine blows my mind.

The joke that only Canadians get: "The world ends tonight at 11pm...11:30 in Newfoundland"

The house hippo ad was basically a fake mini documentary with a message at the end telling kids not to believe everything you see on TV.

As an Australian I am absolutely flabbergasted by the fact that you don’t swipe your own card. Staff here in Australia never ever touch your card, no matter the industry or business. Not one single person would ever hand their credit card over to another person. WTF? You don’t have chip and pin technology? This is not 1973.

As a Canadian I'm still demanding a house hippo. I want one, Canadian scientists get on it.

The US is so behind in technology its hard to believe. I live in a very rural part of Ireland and every retailer has a wireless machine to read your card. We would never EVER give a bank card to anyone.

I didn't realize that they take your card in american restaurants. As a Canadian, I thought it was totally normal to bring portable payment processing machines to the table. I've never been to a restaurant where this wasn't the case.

Food delivery people also bring "the machine " to your door and you tap it

"In America, the waiter takes your card away and later brings it back with the bill" And 2 days later the waiter gets a new Ipad from Amazon and you're disputing the charge with your credit card company. lol.

Seriously though, HANDING your card over to a COMPLETE stranger and just LETTING them charge you?! WHAT?! All us Commonwealth folks just threw up a bit out of sheer anxiety. I mean, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! Is that why we hear of these scams and identity theft scenarios where we’re perplexed as to how exactly it happened? Is this why?! Is this how?! Chills. Absolute CHILLS. And yes, I’m Canadian. 😊

I was born and raised in Canada. Loonies and Toonies: - Loonies called as such for the Loon (a bird) on the front; - Toonie has a polar bear on the front and called as such because of the $2 value.

The house hippo was a way of showing kids that not everything you see or hear on tv and the internet is real and to always think about what you're watching/doing. Also as a canadian this video made me insanely happy.

It's cold. I'll need my toque today. No Canadian will ever call a winter hat, a beanie. A beanie is a skullcap with a propeller on top worn by British schoolboys in the 1950s as far as I'm concerned.

We never let our credit cards out of our sight, period!

The reason the US doesn't have these financial services is because their banking system is not nationalized. It was very easy for Canada to implement things like tap and e-transfer because our banking system is nationalized. There are so many private banks in the US it could take years before they figure out how to implement these services. As someone who runs a non-profit e-transfers have saved us hundreds of hours (by not printing, signing and mailing cheques) and thousands of dollars in 3rd party fees.

as a canadian if a waiter took my card and walked away with it i'd be throwing hands. Can't imagine that being the standard

"Hydro bill" is used in the areas of Canada that heavily rely on hydroelectric dams for their energy supply. Other parts of Canada don't use the term.

I didn’t realize a card machine wasn’t a widespread thing. I know when we went to Disney a few years back they didn’t have “tap” technology yet. The cast member said “oh you must be from Canada. We don’t have that here yet.”

I was recently very confused when I paid for a meal in an airport in America. I got the bill in a little leather book thing and it had one of those slots to fit a card, so I put my card in there thinking it would signify I want to pay by card and the waiter would come back with the debit machine. He took the book and then after several minutes brought it back with a bill that had a spot to write in a tip. I had to google that you write in a tip and it's somehow pre-approved to extract more money from your card after you've already left? It was terrifying, I wasn't sure if I paid or not but it in fact went through later.

HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS JUST PUT YOUR CARDS ON THE TABLE AND LET THE WAITER TAKE IT!!?!?!?? WHAT??!?! I was so shocked at this. I always thought that America was much more futuristic and efficient then Canada this completely opened my eyes holy...

I love that vendors at farmer markets even have the small square portable 'machines' for tap. So convenient.

TAP!!!! I was down in the southern US a few years ago at a Starbucks. The barista pushes me the debit / credit machine across the counter, and it has the Tap symbol on its screen. I yell "It's GOT TAP!!" to my sister who has been down there so long she's essentially American, and before I can finish saying it, I wave my card over the machine and it beeps. The barista looks at it puzzled as her register logs the transaction and prints out the receipt. I was stoked, but both she and my sister were bewildered. Like WTF just happened? Pretty sure their heads would have exploded if I had waved my phone over it instead, and it did the same thing.

E-transfers in Canada can be done to an email or cell phone number.

If you feel safe in America giving your credit card to a complete stranger you go right ahead here in Canada we are not going to do that

Something that never occurred to me before, is that “washroom” is typically used for like public restrooms (and yes restroom is used but it’s a little more fancy or polite) whereas at home, it’s a “bathroom”. I’ve never referred to my own bathroom as a washroom.

Deposit a cheque when you take a picture of it. Tyler, Canadians who receive a cheque can take a picture of the front and back of the check then deposit it in their bank account without the bank ever receiving the actual cheque. I do this every pay day.

When I started working in payment processing here in Canada, I was shocked to learn that we were heads and tails above the US when it comes to payment technology. We had Chip & PIN for over a decade before it even became a thought for the US market. I never thought we'd be ahead of the US when it came to technology. I can't imagine going back to letting a server walk off with my credit card. As for plugging in your car in the winter, I've been driving German foe the oast 20 years and even when its down to -40 with wind chill, my cars have always started no matter what. They don't even come with block heaters because they don't need them. I remember my Dad was choked he had to plug in his domestic, and even then, sometimes it wouldn't start if it was super cold outside.

When Tyler learns about "the machine" and Interac "e-transfers" and "tap" payments, I can't help but envision Marty McFly in Back to the Future, "guess you guys aren't ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it." I daresay for being American, Tyler is a Canadian treasure.

As a Canadian I can confirm the machine and E transfers. We use em constantly. The hydro bill thing applies in provinces that primarily use hydroelectric power generation. As for the washroom thing….. I’ve heard washroom, bathroom, restroom, John, crapper, bog, shitter and water closet used all throughout my lifetime also our meal times are screwed up we eat breakfast and then lunch is sometimes called dinner and the last meal is also sometimes called dinner or supper. We measure things and objects and do construction in feet and inches and we measure long distances in km but if someone asks how far away something is, we won’t tell them the distance, but instead approximately how long it would take to get there. We say we are a metric country but I know that I am 5’8” / 153lbs and couldn’t tell you what that means in Europe speak. Also it’s weird that we travel in kph and buy fuel by the litre but measure fuel economy in mpg still 🙃 Canada is weird yo

We actually don’t swipe cards anymore in Canada, not for at least 8 years. It’s either tap or chip+pin. The swipe is literally only still on there in case we travel outside of the country without chip+pin or tap. It’s also must less common to use cash in Canada than the US in general.

In most restaurants, i use my phone to pay. How would that work in the US? Do you have to give them your phone and they just walk away with it?

as a Canadian, I will never understand how Americans find "washroom" weird but not "bathroom".... you're washing your hands at least (hopefully) in there but you're most certainly not taking a bath in there... well unless its inside a house i guess but not in public ones

I remember being in a restaurant in Virginia years ago and when my dad asked for cutlery the server had no idea what he was talking about. When he explained we needed knives, forks, etc she exclaimed "OH! Y'all mean silverware!"

"trauma of trying to spell Saskatchewan"...but also the delight in drawing it.

I am flabbergasted that americans dont have these very simple and common "technologies" lol I had no idea!

I'm a Canadian and I'm shocked you guys don't use etransfer and " the "machine". They both make everything so much easier and safer. With etransfer, if you are buying or selling something on kijiji or whatever, you go to the door, look at it, then pay automatically bank to bank in a couple minutes. Surprised you guys are so behind. I bet people in northern states or Alaska know about plugging in your car . Great show!

I think it's funny when Americans say "Why do you call it a washroom? You're not going in there for a shower!" and then call it a "restroom". You're not going in there for a nap, Bubba.

Canadians and Australians just shacking their heads. Where both countries have adopted new technology to go 80% cashless societies

I can't remember the lat time I "swiped" my card. My new debit card doesn't even have a magnetic strip on it. Chip and pin or tap is the only way

I clearly remember in Grade 8, having a test where you had to be able to locate all 50 states on a map, name the States, and their State capitols. This was in Canadian Elementary School.

Bathrooms are in homes. Washrooms are in public.

The pouch we put our loonies and toonies in is ALWAYS an old crown royal bag

To keep it warm so it starts when its cold

I am STUNNED that you don't use portable debit machines and e-transfer!

As a Canadian who has visited the US a few times, I will never forget the first time I had to let someone take my credit card away from me to process a payment. A point of financial security we learn fairly early is to NEVER let someone else take your credit / debit card out of your sight. It felt like giving my waiter a blank cheque book and my bank pin. I've gotten used to the practice when stateside now, but I am never comfortable with it. [Ironically, I use an American Express card]

Portable machines are great. Never let your card out of your sight!

Hydro bill because in Canada, most electricity comes from Hydroelectric dams. Also, in Quebec, for example, the company that distributes and sells electricity is called Hydro Quebec and that’s why we say Hydro bill. It’s similar in the other provinces too.

Canada was one of the first countries to adopt Pay-at-Table, back in 2010. This EMV technology has allowed for less waiting time for customers, plus higher tips for servers. It cuts down wait time for the customers so they can pay and leave, thus increasing the turnover rate. This convenience positively leads to higher customer satisfaction and retention.

"Are any of these gonna completely stump me?" He asks before immediately being stumped by the machine.

To understand Canada's finanicial system, you have to understand that there are very few banks and all of them are country-wide. I have been so far unable to find even a single bank in the US that has branches and ATM machines in every city. Many decades ago they came up with a cross-bank electronic interchange standard to handle electronic payments and bank machines called Interac. e-Transfer is the latest extension of Interac, which allows money transfer using email and the Interac backend. Interac is also why chip and pin technology is to widespread. They adopted it very early on (and that technology rapidly flowed to Credit Cards as well).

up here in Canada most cars come with the engine heaters that come with them when you buy them and all you do is plug them in when you go inside it helps so your gas does not freeze overnight

I had a Texan friend who made her first trip to Canada and then was amazed at how many people had electric cars, because of all the plugs hanging out of them. 😂

I'm a fresh Canadian and even in french we call that the machine. When we're about to pay the waitress will say: "Je vais aller chercher la machine" meaning "I'm going to get the machine"

We say 'bathroom' when speaking of a washroom that has a bathtub in it. A 'washroom' just has a sink and toilet.

We call it a hydro bill because one of the main power suppliers in Canada (or Ontario at least) is a company called Hydro One.

It’s called POS “Point Off Sale” handheld terminal that processes payment. Can insert the card and put in your Pin number or you can tap the card, comes directly out of your account. You can even leave a tip on it. Your card never goes out of your site.

In the summer of 2019 friends were camping near Chilliwack, B.C. with their two teen daughters, 14 and 16. They met a nice American family with a teen girl, 15, and a teen boy, 13, at the next campsite, and struck up a friendship. At one point the American couple asked if there were any "safe" places for their kids to go in the area. My friends rattled off a list of a half dozen or so things the youngsters might find interesting. The couple kept asking if any were really safe, what were the safest....safe, safe, Safe. My friends were confused by this, shrugged and said, "all of them". The Americans were surprised that all the Canadian kids were rambbling about on their own or being driven to local amusements (mini golf, for example), dropped off and picked up later, or going hiking on the trails around the campsight, etc. alone, even kids a bit younger. My friends were surprised that they, and other visiting Americans, were so fearful that they felt they had to hover over even older teens. U. S.- culture of fear. Canada- culture of caution.

I was today years old when I realized portable card readers AREN'T universal, why would you ever just trust someone with your credit/debit card? Same with e-transfer, I am learning so much about how behind America is in the weirdest places, like, I'd expect the paranoid capitalists to take every step to protect their money. Washroom, Restroom, and Bathroom are all used in Canada, but Washroom objectively makes the most sense, Bathroom: doesn't always have a bath, Restroom: not typically used primarily for resting, Washroom: In essentially every scenario where you use the room for it's intended purpose, you will (or at least should) be doing some form of washing, either your hands or body.

As a Canadian, we don't leave or put down our cards and wait for the staff to take it. The waiter brings the machine to us!!!

An e-transfer is an email or text of funds. You get the text or email from someone and you can deposit it to your bank account

This is such a wholesome video. As a Canadian, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this 🇨🇦

This was great to watch! Also, when paying in cash we round our cents so if the total is $4.52 you pay $4.50 but if its $4.58 you pay $4.60 but if it's on card then we don't round, pennies no longer exist.

One of the reason we use a payment machine in restaurant is because we have to enter how much tip we want to give, at least, that's how it works in Quebec. Here, people who have a tipped job have a lower hourly wage, and they must report 8% of the total bills to the government as tips received. However, they expect to receive 15% or more in tips. Which means that despite their lower hourly wage, they often earn much more than the average.

Imagine how shocked he'd be knowing pizza delivery also bring "the machine" 😂

I had the opposite experience when eating out at restaurants in Atlanta, Georgia. I actually had to sign my check for the meal. I felt like I was back in the 1970's. Same with at retail stores. You still sign your name to finish the transaction. Largest economy in the world, top tech military, all the modern amenities in life but still stuck in the 1970's for retail sales. Oh well, they will catch up eventually.

“The machine” can even come to your house 😂

They even bring a payment terminal when you have something home delivered - meaning: directly at your door. We usually have technology a tad bit after everyone else, I'm surprised this not a thing in the US!

Someone's surely said this already, but most Canadian electricity is generated by hydroelectric dams, operated by companies call things like "BC Hydro."

I think generally (at least where I live in Canada) when people use “bathroom” it’s for somewhere private like at your house but “washroom” is for somewhere public like at a mall or something.

House hippos are a staple of our culture. Cutest thing to wake up to in the morning is a baby house hippo floating in your cereal.

As a Canadian, you talking about the machine thing was so funny to me

Never let your charge card leave your sight…ever! There is no good reason for another person to handle your card.

When he jokes about us Canadians having a pouch of change is actually called a discipline sock😂😂😂😂😂

the term Washroom makes more sense than Bathroom because in a gas station or bar there is NO bathtub lol

Tyler, the place I get pizza delivered to my house asks me if I'll need 'the machine'. If I do, the delivery person will bring it to my door WITH my food to pay!!!!

Watching you decode Canadian culture is literal comedic therapy for me 🙏

The look on Tyler's face when he read "Will you be needing the machine?" I almost fell off my chair laughing..."that sounds painful" lol......."hydro bill?"..."hydro bill???" "I gotta look this up lol

We only TAP on the machine. No pin. That putting the card on the table thing has been obsolete for years here. The machine is almost like a mini ATM machine. Tap, choose tips % and there you go! And E-transfers are powered by Interac connecting all banks. Free, esay, instant. You can transfer any amount to any email address and the recipient accepts the funds and there you go! Straight into your Checking account in seconds!

My uncle in Montreal used to use a block heater on the Volkswagen bug in the 70s, but I never heard of it back east in the Maritimes.

My father and I were in a Bar in Buffalo and we both realized that we didn't have any American Cash as we both are used to using our Debt Cards. We both instinctively asked if they took interac.. and then said debit... the waitress said yes. I was very confused when I had to go with her to the machine... and it only did VISA or Mastercard but didn't allow for a Bank Card to be used... they new what VISA debit was but didn't understand Debit as in a straight bank card. We quickly realized the mistake went got cash, apologized for the mix up. The Americans didn't understand that we use our bank cards. I never use a credit card to pay for things really. Bathroom is a room with a Bathtub... Washroom is a room with a sink and a toilet.

Plugging your car in: My dad was in Florida and as he came out of the gas station, a little kid asked if his car was electric because the plug was hanging out of the grille. My dad still chuckles over that one.

On the topic of e-transfers and the ‘machine’, I’d throw in the term ‘Interac’. It allows Canadians to use their own bank funds to pay for items instead of using credit in stores and restaurants.

We say Washroom as Cananians like to wash our hands & hope Americans still do that but also use restroom to take a nap & bathroom to take a bath & much more. 😅 but unlike so many other counties in the world who say W C (Water Closet [I believe]) we stoped using that 100 years ago. And E‐transfer stands for Electronic transfer. And when sharing a bill with 2 to many people (no one really calls it the machine) but allows people to pay with different cards to what they ordered & what % tip they want to give. Hydro (water) bills comes from the turbines under Niagra falls that gives more electricity to Americans than Canadians. Hope that helps!

Hold on......... In the US, you give the waiter your credit card? What the actual fuck? 🤣

E-transfer is an extension of the Canadian interac system which allows you to (originally) e-mail transfer funds. This is separate from direct deposit which is somewhere between a wire transfer and an e-transfer. It can also be done by text for most banks in Canada

For one of your question: A bathroom for us is representative to a room in a house that have a sink, a toilet and a bath/shower (either one of them). A restroom or washroom is more representative of the room with toilets and sinks (with no shower/bath) in a public place (ex. restaurant, shopping mall, etc)

some smaller restaurants won't have the machine, I guess they're a little too expensive, but typically they'll just have one machine at the front you use. there's also square which is basically the same thing but it's run through an app and is used in farmer's markets and the like.

Visiting my daughter in New York City, we had a nice meal in a restaraunt, and I asked the server to bring "the machine". She asked me what I meant, and my daughter just jumped in and told me to give her my credit card. I only use my credit card for large purchases, and use tap-and-pay for smaller stuff, like paying for a meal. I almost freaked out when she took my credit card AWAY and my daughter again told me what was going on. She agreed with me that the Canadian use of "the machine" was much simpler but they did not use it much in America. Everything that I had seen in America was so advanced and up-to-date that I was seriously flummoxed by this atavism. I keep "cash" for an emergency, but mostly stopped paying with cash during Covid.

You’re telling me you don’t have a debit machine or e transfers. WHAT. They’re so convenient. I never realized how privileged I was lmao 😂.

The term Hydro Bill makes complete sense, because in Canada approximately 60% of our electricity comes from hydro-electric dams.

As a Saskatchewanite, what a flipping relief to hear you pronounce our Province's name correctly! So many Canadians from Ontario and eastward always pronounce weirdly.

Canadian here, I only use bathroom for residential *bathrooms* (with a bath or shower inside it), otherwise its a ''washroom'', since you're only washing hands/using the toilet. In public, I ask to use the ''restroom'', because it's more polite. I find people in smaller towns typically don't differentiate between these terms, and will say ''bathroom'' when referring to public restrooms, as well. So, we use all 3, and the context depends on place and region.

Some canadians even have their card on their phone, which you can just tap on the machine and it processes the payment automatically. Plugging in your car at night is done is most parts of Canada. Plugging it in also prevents the battery dying overnight. The term washroom is used pretty interchangeably with bathroom and restroom in Canada. What each individual term is used for in a scenario is more regional, like in BC, you use bathroom more for your small bathrooms, usually in the house. Places in public are using washroom and sometimes restroom. Hydro bill is used in Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, as those places are powered mostly by hydro electricity. Other provinces/territories use the term electric bill. In British Columbia our government electricity company is called "BCHydro".

Hahaha. I love the washroom part. We use washroom when there isn't a bath in the room. A bathroom has a bath in the room. If a bathroom doesn't have a bath in it, it's a washroom

love the plugging in the non electric vehicle living on the prairies