Traveler-compatibility checks for this destination are still pending. Local notes are useful, but phone, payment and signup eligibility are not yet sourced per service.
Uber and Lyft are reliable in the city core and both surge in rain and rush hour. Licensed taxi apps are a useful no-surge backup.
DoorDash and Uber Eats are genuinely co-dominant here. For Asian food, Fantuan beats them both on selection.
Dominant for Chinese/Asian restaurants and bubble tea — huge in Vancouver.
Locals mostly shop in person; Instacart is the go-to when you want delivery. Save-On-Foods is the homegrown BC chain; T&T is the Asian-grocery favorite.
Membership required; locals bulk-shop here — order via Instacart if no card.
Pay by tapping any contactless credit/debit card or Apple/Google Pay directly at the gate (adult fare), or use a reloadable Compass Card. SkyTrain & SeaBus have zone/peak pricing; buses are flat fare. No paper tickets.
Locals' real-time app for bus/SkyTrain — cleaner and faster than the official one.
Reload the physical card at compasscard.ca. There is no Compass app or mobile-wallet Compass card yet; visitors can tap a bank card or Apple/Google/Samsung Pay for an adult fare instead.
Reliable transit routing with live departures.
Contactless tap is universal — foreign Visa/Mastercard/Amex and Apple/Google Pay work almost everywhere, so carry little cash. Interac is the domestic debit rail; e-Transfer (built into every Canadian bank app) is how locals send money person-to-person. Tip 15–20% at restaurants.
Travel eSIMs ride on the Rogers/Bell/Telus networks. Canadian mobile is among the world's priciest; for stays over ~2 weeks a local prepaid (Public Mobile, Koodo, Fido) usually beats an eSIM. Free Wi-Fi is common in cafés, malls and on some transit.
Frequently cheaper per-GB than Airalo for Canada.
Budget pick, connects to the Rogers network.
Telus-network prepaid — best value for a longer stay with a local number.
Unlike Asia, Canada has no dominant chat app — plain texting (iMessage/SMS/RCS) rules and phone numbers are the norm. WhatsApp is mainly for immigrants and overseas contacts.
The default; iPhone-heavy market, green-bubble SMS/RCS to everyone else.
Still common, especially with Marketplace sellers.
How a lot of younger locals actually message.
Amazon.ca dominates online; Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji are where locals buy and sell used goods.
911 covers police, fire and ambulance. Save 811 for health advice and 988 for mental-health crisis. These are verified BC/Vancouver numbers.
One number for all life-threatening emergencies, 24/7.
Canada-wide mental-health crisis line, call or text.
City of Vancouver non-emergency municipal services.
24/7 poison and overdose advice.
Mostly for anyone staying a while. Short-term visitors can skip these except ArriveCAN's optional advance customs declaration, which speeds you through YVR.
Digital ID to log into BC government and health services; residents only.
E-scooters and e-bikes are allowed in bike lanes and on roads ≤50 km/h — never on sidewalks or the busy seawall sections. Vancouver's excellent bike-lane network makes this genuinely useful.
Six concrete setup decisions for Vancouver. No fake personalization—just the local default, the local caveat, and what to do before day one gets expensive.
Mark only what you have actually set up. Progress stays in this browser.
Set up data before you need a ride, ticket, map, or verification code.
Telus-network prepaid — best value for a longer stay with a local number. Travel eSIMs ride on the Rogers/Bell/Telus networks. Canadian mobile is among the world's priciest; for stays over ~2 weeks a local prepaid (Public Mobile, Koodo, Fido) usually beats an eSIM. Free Wi-Fi is common in cafés, malls and on some transit.
Know the local default before accepting a taxi quote or opening a global app.
The default — most drivers, shortest waits. Does UberX, Comfort, and can hail taxis. Uber and Lyft are reliable in the city core and both surge in rain and rush hour. Licensed taxi apps are a useful no-surge backup.
Compare the official airport-to-city option before paying for a car.
Locals' real-time app for bus/SkyTrain — cleaner and faster than the official one. Pay by tapping any contactless credit/debit card or Apple/Google Pay directly at the gate (adult fare), or use a reloadable Compass Card. SkyTrain & SeaBus have zone/peak pricing; buses are flat fare. No paper tickets.
Open the map that works best locally and save your hotel or first stop.
Default for driving, walking, cycling and transit. Google Maps is the default for everything; Transit is better for live bus/SkyTrain times.
Check the local card, cash, and wallet reality before your first purchase.
Tap to pay accepted virtually everywhere; the norm on iPhone. Contactless tap is universal — foreign Visa/Mastercard/Amex and Apple/Google Pay work almost everywhere, so carry little cash. Interac is the domestic debit rail; e-Transfer (built into every Canadian bank app) is how locals send money person-to-person. Tip 15–20% at restaurants.
Use the service locals answer—and note any calling or registration restriction.
The default; iPhone-heavy market, green-bubble SMS/RCS to everyone else. Unlike Asia, Canada has no dominant chat app — plain texting (iMessage/SMS/RCS) rules and phone numbers are the norm. WhatsApp is mainly for immigrants and overseas contacts.
This is an arrival checklist, not an app ranking. Open the full local toolkit below for alternatives, coverage limits, and services you may need later.
Local tender, realistic foreign-currency acceptance, and a daily USD reference before a terminal or exchange desk chooses the rate for you.
Reference only. Your bank, card network, ATM, or exchange counter may add fees or use a different rate.
The normal currency for prices and payment.
Some tourist businesses accept it, usually with change in CAD.
Cards and contactless are the norm. USD cash may be refused or converted at an unfavorable merchant rate.
Country payment guidance reviewed Jul 21, 2026