Using Credit Cards in China - The Great CC Rip Off (dynamic currency conversion)
Jan 8, 2011, 1:26 am
#76
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http://www.travelfinances.com/blog/i...sion-defended/
The circling arrangment appears to be unique to Hong Kong (I haven't see it elsewhere) and it looks fair to me. I'd be happy using Visa outside HK if *all* DCC offers can be selected like that.
Last edited by percysmith; Jan 8, 2011 at 1:41 am
Jan 8, 2011, 1:29 am
#77
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Please do. I'll even go out of my way to use Visa cards in the PRC and then educate merchants on it.
Jan 8, 2011, 1:36 am
#78
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HK is seperately regulated from the PRC. I live in HK, so I don't know DCC works in my home city until I saw this article:
http://www.travelfinances.com/blog/i...sion-defended/
The circling arrangment appears to be unique to Hong Kong (I haven't see it elsewhere) and it looks fair to me. I'd be happy using Visa outside HK if *all* DCC offers can be selected like that.
http://www.travelfinances.com/blog/i...sion-defended/
The circling arrangment appears to be unique to Hong Kong (I haven't see it elsewhere) and it looks fair to me. I'd be happy using Visa outside HK if *all* DCC offers can be selected like that.
Jan 8, 2011, 3:22 am
#79
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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.11))
If the merchant doesn't obey your circling instructions then don't you have got a good case of chargeback against your bank? Visa International's manual says your issuer could (Reason Code 76, Condition 4 - "DCC -- CARDHOLDER REFUSED OPTION OF LOCAL CURRENCY") http://usa.visa.com/download/merchan...s.pdf#page=104, you can make a request to your issuer specifically asking for Reason Code 76 Condition 4 chargeback.
I dunno about the US, but HK banks treat card slips like cheques - if you signed one of those BoC "I declare..." slips, you're fxxked cos HK banks look at what is signed and nothing more, but if you circle and sign and the merchant fxxks up, then you have a CB case.
Originally Posted by moondog
No, I've seen very similar receipts at a few places in China, and a lengthy discussion about this with the Velvet manager. He assured me that if I circled "RMB", I would be billed in RMB. He was wrong (i.e. all 5 of my charges were processed as USD).
I dunno about the US, but HK banks treat card slips like cheques - if you signed one of those BoC "I declare..." slips, you're fxxked cos HK banks look at what is signed and nothing more, but if you circle and sign and the merchant fxxks up, then you have a CB case.
Last edited by percysmith; Jan 8, 2011 at 10:40 am
Jan 8, 2011, 3:32 am
#80
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(duplicate post due to problems accessing the mobile version of this site, deleted)
Last edited by percysmith; Jan 8, 2011 at 10:41 am
Jan 8, 2011, 3:40 am
#81
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Last edited by percysmith; Jan 8, 2011 at 10:41 am
Jan 8, 2011, 5:43 am
#82
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I'm going to China in 2 wks time, it's my first time visit. So by looking at it, I should be safe from this DCC nonsense if I use AMEX or Diners right?
Jan 8, 2011, 7:47 am
#83
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Also, my understanding is that a place takes Amex and Visa/MC, or not at all. Please let me know if there're places that take Visa/MC but not Amex.
Jan 8, 2011, 8:49 am
#84
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BTW- HSBC is apparently also an acquirer in China and they're doing it too. I just got a DCC receipt eating at a restaurant in Shanghai.
In this case it says "void" because I decided to not sign the slip and had them reverse it on the spot rather than deal with it later. Lo and behold, I got a charge and credit of $25.57 just like it shows despite saying I wanted RMB (they said I was the first to complain and it took half an hour to resolve).
In this case it says "void" because I decided to not sign the slip and had them reverse it on the spot rather than deal with it later. Lo and behold, I got a charge and credit of $25.57 just like it shows despite saying I wanted RMB (they said I was the first to complain and it took half an hour to resolve).
Last edited by jamar; Jan 8, 2011 at 8:57 am
Jan 8, 2011, 9:04 am
#86
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And don't just blame BoC. HSBC does it too in China (yes, they're an acquirer in the mainland too).
Jan 8, 2011, 9:31 am
#87
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BTW- HSBC is apparently also an acquirer in China and they're doing it too. I just got a DCC receipt eating at a restaurant in Shanghai.
In this case it says "void" because I decided to not sign the slip and had them reverse it on the spot rather than deal with it later. Lo and behold, I got a charge and credit of $25.57 just like it shows despite saying I wanted RMB (they said I was the first to complain and it took half an hour to resolve).
In this case it says "void" because I decided to not sign the slip and had them reverse it on the spot rather than deal with it later. Lo and behold, I got a charge and credit of $25.57 just like it shows despite saying I wanted RMB (they said I was the first to complain and it took half an hour to resolve).
Can't even get the spelling of the merchant's name correctly.
Jan 8, 2011, 10:12 am
#88
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BTW- HSBC is apparently also an acquirer in China and they're doing it too. I just got a DCC receipt eating at a restaurant in Shanghai.
In this case it says "void" because I decided to not sign the slip and had them reverse it on the spot rather than deal with it later. Lo and behold, I got a charge and credit of $25.57 just like it shows despite saying I wanted RMB (they said I was the first to complain and it took half an hour to resolve).
In this case it says "void" because I decided to not sign the slip and had them reverse it on the spot rather than deal with it later. Lo and behold, I got a charge and credit of $25.57 just like it shows despite saying I wanted RMB (they said I was the first to complain and it took half an hour to resolve).
Last edited by percysmith; Jan 8, 2011 at 10:48 am
Jan 8, 2011, 10:17 am
#89
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And on a separate note, HSBC lets you choose. Your Shanghai sales slip (thermal slip) looks similar to my Global Payments DCC card slip (in Taiwan, Global Payments is an HSBC-Global payments Inc. Joint Venture).
On the Global Payments Taiwanese card slip, I was offered a selection of NTD (merchant currency) and HKD (DCC card currency) on the merchant copy. Having ticked NTD and the merchant's receptionist keying in the right currency choice on her terminal (in my case it was key "2"), my customer copy showed the right currency. My issuer bank billed me in NTD.
If you ticked RMB and you were still charged in USD, I trust you can make your US bank will charge back HSBC China. I am confident I can make my Hong Kong banks do that if that happened to me.
DCC in HSBC's case does not appear to be a scam. I'll just refuse it as a matter of course.
(note: I don't work for HSBC and have no reason to be nice to them - I just wrote a post telling fellow HKers to put their money elsewhere. But I like their DCC practices, and customer protection in card services generally.)
This is not the case for BoC. No customer choice. No button to be pressed by merchant staff to turn DCC off. Unavoidable verbage that protects BoC from chargebacks. Hence scam.
On the Global Payments Taiwanese card slip, I was offered a selection of NTD (merchant currency) and HKD (DCC card currency) on the merchant copy. Having ticked NTD and the merchant's receptionist keying in the right currency choice on her terminal (in my case it was key "2"), my customer copy showed the right currency. My issuer bank billed me in NTD.
If you ticked RMB and you were still charged in USD, I trust you can make your US bank will charge back HSBC China. I am confident I can make my Hong Kong banks do that if that happened to me.
DCC in HSBC's case does not appear to be a scam. I'll just refuse it as a matter of course.
(note: I don't work for HSBC and have no reason to be nice to them - I just wrote a post telling fellow HKers to put their money elsewhere. But I like their DCC practices, and customer protection in card services generally.)
This is not the case for BoC. No customer choice. No button to be pressed by merchant staff to turn DCC off. Unavoidable verbage that protects BoC from chargebacks. Hence scam.
Last edited by percysmith; Jan 8, 2011 at 11:20 am
Jan 8, 2011, 10:20 am
#90
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(For us HKers, the standard retort is to "stop mucking around and apply for a China Unionpay Dual Currency card!". Which I have and will use where Amex not accepted.
Yet I still want to end this practice, esp if my Aussie mates come over.)