Originally Posted by
Happy
I have been telling you guys for over a year or more that I do not have any DCC case in Hong Kong as far as eateries are concerned. How many times I told you guys that the wait staff esp the elder ladies almost yelled at me, "We only charge in HKD, No Union Pay!" ? At least you got a polite waitress to tell you so and without the Union Pay part!
Yeah, we didn't try to pay with my UnionPay card first.
The true test would be to go back to a place like Greyhound Cafe to see if it's possible to opt out of DCC or if they've turned it off. If so, it wouldn't be without precedent. For instance, Rainbow had started to opt out customers from DCC proactively based on complaints from customers.
I do agree that hotels will still try to do DCC, but there are some strategies to protect yourself anywhere. First, I use an American Express for the reservation and preauthorization at check-in. I will then substitute the card for a hotel branded one or travel one upon checking out. Since my primary brand is Marriott or SPG, this has become a complete non-issue with the SPG AmEx. This would cover almost all of my stays in a place like Hong Kong with the exception of perhaps the Conrad or Peninsula, but I imagine either place would be able to opt out of DCC without a problem.
The next visit I will have more time to try out some old favorites to provide an update on those places as well.