Wait, so it wanted THEM to type a sale amount in USD? That doesn't sound like DCC... that sounds like a dual-currency account on their end...

I think this was the case since there was no opportunity to enter the CI$ amount. We're they just going to key in 1.2x the CI$ amount or was there another exchange rate applied? I'd like to see this setup to see if there's a "convenience fee" for paying in USD. The way DCC normally works is that the cashier keys in the amount in local currency, swipes/inserts the card, and that's when DCC happens.

The Chase IHG MC is about the mid-rate (as per xe.com), while the Chase Visa cards are worse. Not 2.6% worse, but definitely worse.

See this Chase foreign exchange rates thread.

Visa cards have worse exchange rates, in my experience, than the other networks. Half a percent or so.

Had two hotel stay transactions in India so far, no sign of DCC. I have been using my Sams Mastercard, pin never asked. I used my UNFCU card at the airport to pay for excess baggage, I was asked a pin. Again no DCC.

I did track the FX rates in 2013 and 2014 using Chase cards in various countries in Asia, Europe, and Oceanic.

The rates Chase used were exact to the rates published by Visa.com on the posting dates.

Maybe things have changed? I will look at my recent transactions in China and calculate again.

I just responded on the Chase FX thread that I found my transactions in China using CSP in the recent month did not have the 1% over Visa rate.

DCC'ed in Poland
 

Well, doing a bit of traveling here in Poland and just got hit 3 times for DCC charges. I don't remember this being nearly as much of a problem back in 2009-10 but I was here again about 14 months ago and was DCCed at a gas station in Zgorzelec.

In the most recent cases, two from gas stations and one from a well-known international pizzeria none of them gave the option to select PLN instead of CAD. In the case from today which is freshest in my memory, there were no indication (as usual) on the hand-held PIN terminal that I would be billed in anything other than PLN and of course the cash register showed the bill in PLN.

PKO Bank Polski seems to do most of the processing of credit card transactions in Poland and in all three cases, one in Warszawa and two in Szczecin, there was never a choice to select local currency on my part.

In the case of one of the gas stations (named after a Dutch crustacean) two days ago I was there for a fill-up and was specifically asked if I wanted the transaction in PLN. Today, a different cashier said nothing and without warning until the final receipts were given to me back with my Visa, I was slammed with the DCC and of course on a 85L fill up this can be prohibitive. :mad:

I called my bank in Canada (you know who you are RBC) and of course they did their usual denials and recriminations. They have the worst charge-back department known to man. As before, I get the usual well if you entered in PIN then there's nothing we can do... story. I offered to explain to them in both official languages that the PIN had nothing to do with the amount entered on the cash register and that at no time at all was a currency amount ever shown on the client PIN handset. In fact, when I wanted to do Paypass, the gas station refused. It was a bizarre experience. :(

So now, I was told by some guy at RBC that I should 'scan' (because I always bring my scanner with me when I travel) the receipts for the three transactions and they will 'look into it'. I told him that was not interested in really disputing the entire amounts (I pay my bills) but I will not be hosed for some fraudulent DCC. At the very beginning of the conversation he had even asked me if I knew how much the overage was for the DCC and I told him that this was something he should be determining himself given that if I had proceeded with the transactions correctly, the currency would have been converted by Visa themselves.

In these cases it seems like having a Chip & PIN is worse than the US-style magnetic strip cards. At least with mag strip there is a better opportunity to dispute the charge where the bank cannot turn around and claim that you entered in your PIN and so 'their hands are tied'. Maybe I should start looking at using my Discover and Amex cards which are without chip? At least neither of them have foreign currency commissions.

Signatures, or no CVM at all, just an authorization?

Only signature. Since Sams has an offline pin, I was hoping it would for a pin transaction. I had made sure at one of the hotels I asked for card not to be swyped hoping for a pin. My guess both hotels had inline pin verification enabled and thus Sams card did not trigger a pin. The UNFC is better in that I do get asked a pin.

I ordered a card reader, so I should be able to update card peek results of all my cards in about 10 days.

Thanks. My WF card is offline PIN, but I think it means they don't want their clients stranded at train stations; they can sign for their own lunches! Just discovered today that UNFCU balances have a whopping 7 day payment period from statement closing (with e-statements enabled). Fortunately, I had a spare $9 in my accounts to cover it immediately.

The scammed amount should be easy to figure out though from your end-take the CADPLN rate effective on that day, multiply it by the original amount in PLN and add RBC'S 2.5% FX fee.
Also AMEX in Canada does have FX fees (unless you are using USD cards, in which case you should have also used a USD chip and signature Visa.)

And MasterCard's rules for a chargeback just stayed you have to claim that you weren't given a choice to transact in the desired currency, which is true. In case of a chargeback, you wouldn't get credited the difference - although the issuer can certainly offer this so you're not personally out any money. For chargebacks they would simply rerun the transaction in PLN for the CADPLN rate on that day for MasterCard.

I moved $5k to my savings account with UNFCU and enabled automatic deduction of the full balance each due date. This way, I do not have to remember. Interestingly one can pay from a non UNFCU account as one time transaction, but they do NOT allow you to set automatic full deduction from an external linked account. I know of no other bank that does it (Kohls also has NO auto payment of bill). Anyway I will make sure I keep a good balance so I am never late in paying my monthly full balance.

Just to let you all know what happened in this case:

I complained to the merchant (Sukhothai Hotel, Bangkok) and to the bank of my credit card in Singapore.
Sukhothai Hotel told me that "they were not aware" that I had been charged in SGD but offered to refund the amount.
Turns out the bank in Singapore is adding 0.8% service fee to the DCC amount!!
In the end Sukhothai Hotel refunded the amount in SGD and the bank refunded the 0.8% service fee.
I told Sukhothai to charge me the THB amount at the exchange rate of the date of the transaction which they told me they couldn't do and then they asked how much I was willing to pay in SGD. I took the mid rate (interbank) for the transaction date and converted to SGD - this was the amount Sukhothai charged me.
In the end the total amount I paid was more than SGD 40 lower than originally charged. (which was about 7% of the amount)
In the process I exchanged 6 emails with the hotel and 3 with the bank, a lot of work for them so I hope they learned a lesson........