Originally Posted by pynchonesque
Too often, when I use a credit card outside the US, the establishment wants to run the charge in USD, instead of the local currency. That sounds good at first, but the exchange rate is horrible. You pay 5-10% on the exchange, rather than the 1-3% your credit card might charge.
It has been reported on FlyerTalk that some US credit card companies are now charging the 1-3% "foreign transaction fee" for charges made outside the US but in USD, so that would be double hit.