What happens if you just use Amex for international AirBnb?

AirBnB forces DCC regardless of card. What I do is look at the prices in the foreign country and then book through there. The exchange rate is a lot more favourable.

Good to know, thanks. It sounds like AirBnB *may* be doing something different on their web platform than the DCC we're familiar with at the Point of Sale. Regardless, it sure is a sleazy practice, in my opinion.

Same as Uber does in China- look at any e-mailed Uber receipt from a ride in China and you'll see "charged in US dollars", and you'll notice that you were charged from the US. Except at least Uber doesn't mark up the rate. AirBNB does, and that's not a very customer-friendly thing to do when you don't offer an alternative.

That's interesting because in Australia Uber charges AUD natively.

Got DCCd in France and Citi was about as helpful as a turd. Refused to even open up a dispute. They wouldn't even take a suggestion to pressure mastercard to end dcc.

Eventually they did give me a credit for it but thats not the point... Lady didn't know what dcc was and refused to go look it up and didn't really listen to my explanation.

Sigh....

Did you HUCA?

Yup, duty free shop as well at HKG. And saleslady just smiled like she understood why I chose HK$ :rolleyes:

She did ask which currency, and let me press the button on the terminal.

Uber China charges any card in USD at the proper converted rate, outside of that, I'm not aware of any other countries where Uber doesn't charge the native currency.

When I used AirBnB recently, I changed the billing address country and then checked out but a screen popped up saying something like " The currency of your card is USD. You will be charged in USD". I discovered a charge that was nearly 40% higher than the actual exchange rate from JPY on my CC bill. Currently disputing.

40%??? It's clear on so many grounds that there are no ethics behind AirBnB. I'll be boycotting lol.

Japan was the only place I've used AirBNB. I'd seen no more than a 3% markup, and I was willing to accept that the two times I'd used it because the apartments were bigger than the hotel rooms I'd be looking at otherwise. If they're charging that much now and not giving you a way out, that's just underhanded.

Or you can mentally price Airbnb 3% more than the alternatives.

You mean 40% more, not 3% more, right? That's the number your quote referred to...

Sorry I was referring to this http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...l#post26188116 . If 40% then simply stay away...

That's my experience with HK. So I was pretty shocked when percysmith brought up the Greyhound Café incident.

With Uber aggressively expanding in China, I bet they charge locals in local currency.

Maybe they only do his to US-issued cards because they have the means to charge USD since they are a US-based company?

I can understand charging USD on US cards can save them some interexchange fees, and if their rates are reasonable no one would complain. Something like a good DCC.

I kinda remember pulling out Uber in Singapore showed me USD rates as well in the estimates. Didn't use it so cannot tell whether it was USD that would be actually charged.

Maybe one day I'll pull out Uber in China to take a look at the estimates. If it is also USD, I'd bet they just charge you using your card's currency no matter where you go.

However this does mean a more complex central management system that they have to move the fund to the local subsidiaries to pay the local drivers in their local currencies. But it makes sense in terms of reducing the complexity of accepting foreign payment methods I guess, as this means no foreign payment methods at all...