Jenbel

You could have sorted it out at the time, but decided your time was of more value than the 25 c you'd have got refunded. I think you answered your own question, by your own acts at the time.

I do agree it is a nasty practice though.

As for me, it's not somethign I've had yet (but may do when I go to China later this year). In a country where I can be understood, I'd refuse to sign for it in any currency other than the local - in China, that might be somewhat more difficult

jmastron

Many cards charge the "foreign transaction fee" if the location is outside the USA even if the charge was in USD. Check your terms before you decide which card to use where...

mapleg

True there could be a principle involved, but the OP did say this:

Not worth the fight.

MoreMilesPlease

Originally Posted by MoreMilesPlease
Not only do you get less competitive rates but the card may still charge you a foreign transcation fee. Having the charges in US dollars will always give you a worse exchange rate. The merchant does this so the rates are in their favor.


Ummm..yes that is what I posted.

Ancien Maestro

Possibly a major currency shift in the neighborhood of 10% over a month..

The point is that purchases and refunds are subject to fees, and differing amounts end up being posted.. unless as pointed out the original transaction is voided..

JEFFJAGUAR

I had this garbage pulled on me at a Burger King in Dublin...they refused to void (not credit) the transaction and insisted they had every right in Ireland to do this and the usual lies by the so called manager (who seemed to be an eu refugee from Eastern Europe as so many are these days, not demeaning them mind you but sometimes English is a problem even in places like Ireland or the UK). In any event, I crossed out the USD amount, crossed out the statement that I was offered the opportunity to pay in local currency, crossed out the statement I accept the conversion amount and instead of signing my name, wrote local option not offered. The clerk was too stupid to understand what I had done.

When I got home, I disputed the charge and asked for a charge back. As these clowns were in violation of visa rules, the bank has no choice but to charge it back to the merchant. The day of this incident, the euro was trading at $1.41 and these pos's were charging me $1.52. I know, I know the amount is not that much but it is the principle of the matter.

Another time I was checking out of my hotel in London, a hotel I had stayed at quite often, and they tried to pull the DCC scam on me. Again the clerk was not British, was probably from some East European eu country, and tried to tell me the usual lies, you know the USD amount is only shown for convenience yada yada yada. But he did void the transaction (as a side note, one of the previous posters is correct. If your bank charges a foreign transaction fee, the fee is added to the charge on a purchase and subtracted from the purchase on a credit but if your bank doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee, it doesn't matter if it goes through as a void or a credit but there is a difference between the two).

In any event, I have not heard from my card issuer yet about this garbage but while I noticed that more and more merchants, especially in Ireland the home of this scam, do ask if I wish to pay in USD, there are still some crooked merchants who try to pull off this scam on unsuspecting tourists.

tom911

I was at an ETAP (Accor brand) this past weekend in Berlin. When they presented me with the receipt to sign it showed a conversion to dollars that was about 3% higher that the dollar/euro exchange rate that day. The wording on the receipt indicated my signature authorized them to bill in dollars and what the charge would be.

I have ran across something brand new to me at this property. They had a sign on the counter promoting the benefits of DCC (with those letters prominently displayed) so you can be charged in your home currency. Nothing on that sign about any surcharges.

They voided the dollar transaction and ran a new one in euros. I saved about $5. All my previous DCC issues have been in Ireland and the UK.

Mountain Trader

Good for you and shame on Accor for pulling this scam.

JEFFJAGUAR

You were at a hotel in Germany and the sign was in English...tells you something about whom they try to pull this scam on.

HelloKittysMum

For future reference get a euro card. I live in the UK but I have a prepaid mastercard for dollar transactions and another one for euros. When I have a trip coming up (or I am buying something from the states on ebay) I make sure I have enough loaded on the card (which is done at a much beter rate than I can buy currency in cash) and then use that. Reloading is easy (I once sat outside a starbucks (to get their free wifi) in an outlet mall in Vegas to reload the card using my mobile phone for the second time that day due to a big shopping trip for the family). Works like a normal mastercard, is as easy as cash and a better rate - what's not to like.

There is sometimes a joining fee but that is waived if you are referred - anyone in UK want me to refer them (for which I would get £2.50 credit) PM me.

They are also useful for backpacking teenagers - they ahve a card which you can quickly and easily load from home (takes no more than 15 mins for money to be on the card).

I guess something similar must exist in other countries?

ArizonaGuy

The local currency prepaid card won't earn us our valuable miles and points for the charge which is our goal:

Using a card with no foreign exchange or transaction fee, collect the miles/points while being charged in local currency so we benefit from the daily interbank exchange rate.

Fortunately, in Australia and New Zealand where I get to punch buttons on the card terminal I can always hit the button myself for AUD / NZD and not USD. For Europe: I was always asked in Ireland but admittedly the last time I was there (Jan 2011) I was on advance purchase hotel rates so obviously avoided this debacle at checkout. And for smaller purchases I'll almost always use cash in Ireland or elsewhere in Europe since it's still very much a cash culture - and I find if I don't I'll end up flying home with too many Euro/Pounds/Forints/et al.

emma69

I've now got a chip and pin card in Canada, haven't used it in Europe yet - if I do, does the terminal give the option (as described above) to use DCC or local currency?

ajax

I agree, too. I would simply refuse to sign.

The vendor is not in business to be nice to you. If they can find another way to get money from you, they will (and it appears they have). 3.5% mark-up on an exchange fee that they pretend to do for you out of the kindness of their heart is highway robbery.

I think they'll get the message awfully quickly. Just keep repeating "renminbi" over and over again.

Carolinian

I had this scam pulled on me a week or so ago on Gran Canaria, a Spanish island. I had reserved a car at a good rate through Economy Car Rentals, and my voucher said the balance was to be paid in euros to their local provider, Goldcar Rentals. When I got the contract, it had a box which said I had been offered a choice of currencies (a lie) and chose to charge it in USD at a rate above $1.41. The euro on that day was below $1.35. When I strenuously objected, they said it was ''in the computer'' and there was nothing they could do about it. My only option they said was to refuse the rental and rent from someone else at walkup rates, and they would not return my prepayment if I did that. There were two other additional frauds on the contract, and all told I was overcharged over $43. I briefly looked at the rates at the adjoining rental booth for walkups and concluded I would lose more than $43 there. I took the car but am complaining to Economy Car Rentals over this fraud. I will also challenge the charge at my bank.

Remember - Goldcar Rentals = fraud

Another place this scam is pulled is on the Ryanair website. Many airlines offer a choice of currency, that only fools choose something other than local currency. Those airlines, unlike Ryan, do not foist it on you. When you get to the last page to pay on the Ryan site, it shows the amount due at the bottom right in large numbers in euros. Way off to the left in small print is a pre-checked box asking for conversion. Unless you know about it or are very careful, you will not see it, but that box needs to be unchecked to keep the sale in euros. Otherwise, the next page, your receipt, will finally show you that you have paid in dollars rather than euros and at a very bad rate. Ryanair is the only airline I know that pulls this disgusting stunt.

In the US, these practices would lead to a class action for unfair and deceptive business practices, allowing recovery of treble damages plus attorneys fees. Too bad Europe apparently does not have an equivalent.

stifle

It does.

If you are forced to use DCC by a merchant, you can raise a chargeback for the difference with your issuer when you get home. I have done this in the past (with Ryanair, no less).