Originally Posted by
Points Scrounger
If this has been dealt with, sorry.
Last week in Iceland I was looking for which key to press to get the charge in ISK when the choice appeared on screen. Clerk had to explain that it was a matter of touching one or the other option directly, no button involved. Usually, we used NFC, but this one transaction seemed to go through as Samsung Pay via swipe slot (had to sign for a $5 coffee even with a PIN card).
On a more pleasant note, these days when I warn folks about DCC costing extra, they are often already aware of the need to choose local, not dollars. Folks may not grasp the details, but they get that in the long run they'll end up paying more that way.
Thanks for the data points. I don't think we've had too many reports from Iceland. The choice was fully within your control, right? Did NFC seem to avoid DCC from showing most of the time? (It's difficult to do controlled experiments unless you're returning to the same merchant and doing a similar value transaction with the physical card.)
Yes, more and more people are aware of paying in local currency. In fact, some merchants have disabled DCC or select local currency, opting out on the customer's behalf. One merchant in Hong Kong told me, "Don't worry. I always select local currency. The exchange rate is not favorable for the customer," after I had requested HKD if there was an option.