The cheapest way, I think, is if you pay with PayPal against your checking account — then you just have the exchange rate ‘loss’ to pay for. If they don’t accept PayPal, or you don’t have an account, just use the credit card. It’s no big deal really.
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That being said, one reason I think this may not happen is because that would also badly devalue the debt we owe China, which would cause them a real loss. And their economy is based on our consumerism.

Time will tell.
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"You can date the end of dollar hegemony from China’s decision last month to sell its first batch of sovereign bonds in Chinese yuan to foreigners.

Beijing does not need to raise money abroad since it has $2 trillion (£1.26 trillion) in reserves. The sole purpose is to prepare the way for the emergence of the yuan as a full-fledged global currency.
"It’s the tolling of the bell," said Michael Power from Investec Asset Management. "We are only beginning to grasp the enormity and historical significance of what has happened."
It is this shift in China and other parts of rising Asia and Latin America that threatens dollar domination, not the pricing of oil contracts. The markets were rattled yesterday by reports – since denied – that China, France, Japan, Russia, and Gulf states were plotting to replace the Greenback as the currency for commodity sales, but it makes little difference whether crude is sold in dollars, euros, or Venetian Ducats.
What matters is where OPEC oil producers and rising export powers choose to invest their surpluses. If they cease to rotate this wealth into US Treasuries, mortgage bonds, and other US assets, the dollar must weaken over time.
"Everybody in the world is massively overweight the US dollar," said David Bloom, currency chief at HSBC. "As they invest a little here and little there in other currencies, or gold, it slowly erodes the dollar. It is like sterling after World War One. Everybody can see it’s happening."
"In the US they have near zero rates, external deficits, and public debt sky-rocketing to 100pc of GDP, and on top of that they are printing money. It is the perfect storm for the dollar," he said.
"The dollar rallied last year because we had a global liquidity crisis, but we think the rules have changed and that it will be very different this time [if there is another market sell-off]" he said.
The self-correcting mechanism in the global currency system has been jammed until now because China and other Asian powers have been holding down their currencies to promote exports. The Gulf oil states are mostly pegged to the dollar, for different reasons.
This strategy has become untenable. It is causing them to import a US monetary policy that is too loose for their economies and likely to fuel unstable bubbles as the global economy recovers.
Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, a board member of the European Central Bank, said China for one needs to bite bullet. "I think the best way is that China starts adopting its own monetary policy and detach itself from the Fed’s policy."
What do you think?

I currently have $5200 Canadian dollars in my safe and add to it from time to time. I bought most of it when the Canadian dollar was around $.78 US. Today its about $.90 US. so ive gained some in the last 12 months.

When you sell back they also don’t give you the best rate but here is the funny thing about it. The banks here in Alaska bought all the Canadian currency last summer when the Canadian dollar was at its peak. I bought it from the Alaskan banks when the Canadian dollar fell last fall against the US dollar. So in effect the banks willingly sold me their foreign currency reserves at a loss.

Best part is doing it the way I do is when I exchange it back for US dollars its non reportable to the IRS. Its a physical currency exchange and not a market trade. Thus its exempt from taxes.
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