Originally Posted by
JEFFJAGUAR
One must remember the people who participate on this forum tend to be seasoned travellers. Many Americans are not. They have no idea about currency and the like. Some are even surprised that foreign merchants do not take US currency b ecause after all, or so they think, the US dollar is supreme and everybody should take dollars. So after a day or two trying to deal with foreign currencies, going into merchants who tell them something costs €4.80 just hold out a bunch of coins and say take what you need. So when they come to a merchant who tells them they can be charged in USD, to them it is a relief and they have no concept they are being ripped off or they believe one of the 3 great lies (we have no control over it, you lock in a good rate, no speak English) and think this is being done for their convenience. Especially after exchanging cash and having been ripped off there (do remember most cash goes about 10% over interbank rates, dcc at 7% above interbank seems a bargain not unjderstanding that with a proper choice of credit card, you can more or less get the interbank rate).
Hence dcc lives on as a sucker is born every day.
I am going to London and Dublin in a little over 3 weeks and I am already getting antzy and freaking out, man!
Only previous international trip was Mexico City and the hotel charged me in pesos, and I paid cash for everything else on the streets so no issues at all. One thing on my mind is DCC for sure. I want to use my Barclay card arrival as much as I can so I can hit the spend for the signup bonus.
What worries me is I fear I may be forced to pay DCC. If I eat out at a restaurant or pub where you pay the bill after you have consumed the product what if I am forced into DCC by the merchant and they lie and say it is for my convenience, the machine can only do dollars for American credit cards, etc not like I can make a stink and refuse to pay since I have already consumed food and drink.
My first plan is to just straight up say I know what DCC is, most other american tourists may think you are doing them a favor, charge me in local currency, whats the problem mate? For every one person like me who makes a stink, you probably get 100 who think you are doing them a favor. Scam them instead and leave me be!
If that fails I will then say I will make a complaint with my bank, the rules state I must be given the option. Write on the recept DCC refused, then dispute when I get home.
Sounds like a good plan?