★ CORRIDOR · CANADA → USA · 2026

CAD to USD. Five ways. One winner.

The Canada-USA corridor has more options than any other. Wise for under $20K. Knightsbridge or OFX for $20K+. Norbert's Gambit for the truly hardcore who don't mind a 5-day settlement to save another 0.2%. And the big-5 banks — slow, expensive, but still where 60% of Canadians wire to the US because nobody told them better existed.

PROVIDERMARGINFEETOTALSPEEDMETHOD
OFX$40$0$401-2 daysWire to US bankView →
Norbert's Gambit$20$20$404-5 daysDLR.TO journal to DLR.UView →
Knightsbridge FX$50$0$50Same-dayWire to US bankView →
Wise$43$8$51Same-dayACH via US local accountView →
Big-5 Bank wire$280$30$3101-2 daysSWIFT wireView →
★ WHICH ONE WHEN

Decision tree

UNDER $5K · ONE-OFFUse Wise. Instant ACH, mid-market rate, tiny fee.
$5K-$100K · RECURRINGWise multi-currency account. Hold USD, spend with Wise card, no FX on swipes.
$25K-$500K · ONE-OFFKnightsbridge FX or OFX. Cheaper margin, dedicated dealer for big sends.
$10K+ · NOT TIME-SENSITIVENorbert's Gambit through Questrade/IBKR. ~0.2% margin, 4-5 day journal.
RECURRING SNOWBIRD EXPENSESKnightsbridge forward contracts to lock rate for next year's Florida trip.
EVER · IF AVOIDABLEDon't wire USD from your Canadian bank. It costs you 2.5-3% every single time.