http://www.hongkongcard.com/forum/fo...p?id=13932&p=1 #2
https://www.americanexpress.com/hk/e...df/HKDA_EN.pdf page 7:
"Fees relating to Settling Foreign Currency Transaction in Hong Kong Dollars
Customers may sometimes be offered the option to settle foreign currency transactions in Hong Kong dollars at the point of sale overseas. Such option is a direct arrangement offered by the overseas merchants and not the card issuer. In such cases, customers are reminded to ask the merchants for the foreign currency exchange rates and the percentage of handling fees to be applied before the transactions are entered into since settling foreign currency transactions in Hong Kong dollars may involve a cost higher than the foreign currency transaction handling fee.
Effective from November 2014"
It's the exact same wording as other local banks' e.g. Bank of Communications HK Branch
http://www.bankcomm.com.hk/mediafile...C_reminder.pdf
The glaring difference though is the other banks will either issue Visas or Mastercards or both, Amex HK issues AE cards only.
So why issue this notice?
Did AE really change their network, or is Amex HK being hopelessly clueless/brainless ("I sent it cos the regulator told me to"?)?
(I did ask the Amex HK agents where this may happen; the staff simply suggested "it might". Can go either way.)