The hard currency conversion may actually benefit you as your credit card company will not add a surcharge for the foreign currency transaction. The rate BA uses (BSR???) seemed good at the time they did it. The median Interbank exchange rate on the date of my transaction was EGP5.790 = US$1. I ended up getting EGP5.819 = US$1. Typical credit card transactons cost about another 2%.

Now, the other favorable thing is that they are none to quick to post the charge to your account.