Originally Posted by
MoneyBagger
Also - I would challenge any foreign exchange charges taken as deposits for hotels booked through PTS where the hotel refunds the deposit to your card when you check in. I worked out that for two rooms in two hotels, I paid nearly £80 in commission. It's a double whammy because you get charged 2.99% on the deposit and a further 2.99% on the depsoit refund. Essentially you are paying an additional 5.98% of one night's stay just to book the hotel.
Are you sure about this? When an FX commission is charged, card issuers automatically refund the commission on refunds, i.e. a negative commission (which may be itemised). Therefore if you do a charge and a refund on the same day for the same amount, they will in theory net each other out to zero. Are you sure that the loss you suffered wasn't caused by a movement in the FX rate between the date the deposit was taken and the date the refund was processed?