Originally Posted by
YuropFlyer
Thanks for the explanation, it's some time ago I was in Macao last (3 years imho) so my knowledge, especially about DCC, is a bit outdated. I remember they also preferred getting paid in HK$, and Casino gambling areas were (and most certainly still are) 100% HK$ only.
I guess if your own currency is just 3% lower, and you happily accept "foreign" cash at 1:1 rate, lots of HK people won't even bother to change money but just use their local one as exchange would eat up parts anyway plus then they would get stuck with leftovers. With credit cards, and especially DCC, it's a different matter, though, obviously.
It's been about three years since we've been there too, but we're ready to go back in September:
I do remember for cash transactions being able to request change in HKD without a problem. The two or three times we took a taxi they were happy to oblige, and I remember some fast food places giving change in both Patacas and HKD.
I see that the Venetian is still pulling the DCC scam.
What I can do if we stay there this time around is be upfront about being billed in Patacas and settling the bill in Patacas. Back in July 2011 I was ignorant of DCC, and I didn't know I had been hit until after I had gotten back home. This was the first place where I got hit involuntarily with DCC. I always knew paying in local currency was best, but I had always been given the quote slip in Taiwan. I thought it had something to do with the MOP:HKD exchange rate when I was seeing an amount 3% higher than what it ought to have been. On an 830 USD hotel bill that was a nice $25 profit they made on me. I bet they haven't changed their system in three years, but I definitely wasn't asked if I wanted to be billed in USD.
I don't know why DCC seems to be rampant in Taiwan because I don't see many tourists there even in Taipei. I get it in HK, Macau, or even Mainland China where you have a lot of foreign currency cards, but I'm wondering how this gets to be a problem. Perhaps the acquirers are the ones pushing DCC to the machines as evidenced by certain POS terminals not even allowing a merchant who's willing to work with the customer to disable DCC?