JEFFJAGUAR

What do you mean it won't help to circle the local currency amount and write local option not offered. The merchant can process the charge anyway he wishes. You dispute the charge with visa (or mc) and they will charge it back through the visa (or mc) network. At least that's what happened the few times I've had to resort to this.

BTW in the case of the Irish charge, my bank simply credited the difference (something like 50 cents US or thereabouts) and did not bother with a chargeback which quite frankly I would have preferred to punish these vermin.

Also I think I read in another thread of your problem (or somebody else's) problem at Harrod's. Any transaction can be voided (what happens if a clerk accidentally enters the wrong amount; I simply don't accept it can't be voided). Either I owuld have walked away and told the clerk I changed my mind about buying it or I would have written on the sales slip local option not offered and circled the amount in local currency.

Maybe it's different in Hong Kong. What I do know is that on the couple of occasions I have had to resort to this, unlike the Burger King episode where they simply credited the difference, my visa bank did charge the charge back to the merchant. I don't see where your bank has any choice in this matter and let Harrod's handle it and deal with it.