Originally Posted by
MChevreul
I’ve gotta say that the DCC situation in Spain and Portugal has gotten out of hand rapidly. Of my last twelve credit card transactions, only five times was it not offered. Three times it was offered and the vendor accepted my refusal. Twice the vendor simply handed me a credit card slip in dollars for signature, resulting in lengthy discussions in two different foreign languages before they were withdrawn. And two hotels simply took my written refusal, threw it in the trash after I had left, and unilaterally billed my card in dollars.
The first hotel only nicked me for about $5 and I decided to ignore it. The second, with its DCC upcharge of 7 percent, got me for $28. I have them dead to rights with photographs of my written refusal. I’ve contacted them and they graciously offer to refund my $28. I have disputed the entire transaction with MasterCard and requested that the hotel be prohibited from DCC transactions entirely.
The situation has become bad enough that such aggressive reactions become necessary IMHO.
Would you care to name and shame the hotels for our reference here? I'd like to see the receipt with the 7% DCC offer if you can redact personal information and are in a position to post it. That's just criminal and probably no improvement over cash exchange rates at airport bureaus de change. I witnessed a fellow FT member on this trip get scammed at nearly 6% at a souvenir shop near Parc Güell.
A protip for hotels - but I can't always guarantee that this method will work - is to use a DCC-free card like AmEx upon check-in for the preauthorization and then switch the card upon checkout. Just tell the receptionist that you want to charge the bill to a different card. I
did this at Hotel Arts in Barcelona in February without issue, and I've been
doing this at the Novotel in Taoyuan. My trip prior to that was in
I haven't been to Portugal, but in Spain every merchant is required to have
hoja de reclamaciones sheets at the establishment. Sometimes they'll say they don't have them, but this is illegal. You are within your rights to call the police to make a sworn statement, and if you call their bluff they will definitely capitulate.
I always specify that I want euros in a place like Spain, knowing how awful the DCC situation is there. Of the 7 DCC transactions, 3 asked if you wanted euros or your card's currency? For the 2 arguments with the merchant, did you end up paying cash after voiding the sale or get them to rerun the transaction without DCC? Finally, I'm trying to understand the mechanics of the hotel's DCC. Was it integrated with the guest folio, or did you have to sign a thermal or carbon copy receipt upon checkout?
I'm happy that you're disputing the charge. Which card is this, and who is your issuer? Be sure to specify that it's a Reason Code 4846. How did you make a written refusal? Did you deface the credit card signature slip? There must have been something you signed for the charge.