ICE Currency Exchange

Gate C29 in YVR’s Main Terminal is your ICE spot

Right by gate C29 in Vancouver’s Main Terminal, ICE Currency Exchange handles last-minute cash runs for flights to the US, Europe, and Asia. It sits airside in the C-gates corridor, so you can sort money out after clearing security instead of dealing with ATMs in the public area. Look for the blue ICE branding between other C-pier shops before you head to your boarding gate.

ICE runs daily from 06:00 to 22:00, which covers most early departures and late-evening arrivals at YVR. That timing helps if you land from an international flight into the Main Terminal and realize you still need Canadian dollars before catching a taxi or SkyTrain. If you’re on a 23:30 red-eye out of C29, though, you’ll miss it — plan to exchange earlier in the day or use an ATM in the pre-security concourse.

Rates and fees at ICE tend to be less friendly than bank ATMs, especially for euro, USD, and JPY conversions under about CAD 200. The upside: they usually hold several major currencies on hand so you walk out with physical notes instead of waiting on a bank order. Bring a debit or credit card with no foreign fee for comparison; sometimes your bank ATM rate on CAD beats swapping leftover USD back at the counter.

Quick play: if your flight leaves from C29–C52, price-check your bank’s app while standing in front of ICE before committing. If the spread looks steep, withdraw cash from a machine in the Main Terminal and keep the counter for emergencies only.