I bet there are a lot of Brits out there praying to be DCCed today!

...For once a 4% markup over yesterday's rate is likely better than the combination of the uncertainty and the devalued pound.

I can personally concur that HK is not like it was 10 years ago. Back then, it was still a little like Japan, with its own sense of luxury, and a good hospitality sector.

Now, going to Tsui Hwa is a lot worse than going to a local restaurant in Beijing. People there are so rude and impatient if you don't speak Cantonese. Places like Kau Kee are even worse.

It's like Hong Kong people have reached this level of hatred towards others like never before.

And planes are always delayed at HKG during the summer time...

They only hate the mainlanders and with the behaviors demonstrated by a good portion of the visitors from the north, the resources of both public and private sector are wearing thin, and many stuff are forced down their throats, etc etc, one cannot really blame the Hong Kong people to stereotype, transfer their cumulated angers towards personified subjects and react this way. In the past the money brought in by mainland visitors was big enough for the Hong Kong people to put up with annoyance. Now the influx of money has slowed A Lot, there is no more reason to put up things "for the money sake." Can't really blame them.

On a side note, what is the attraction of Tsui Hwa? We have never been in this name once over. What makes it different from many Hong Kong style basic restaurants all over Hong Kong?

At least the delays at HKG are almost always weather related. Weather God is governing this. So dont like it, complain to the Weather God. How about the delays at PEK or PVG? when the delays are caused by the military and very often? Serious, what can you do?! Throw an Air Rage like so many mainlanders do?

I just finished a 9 day trip in Frankfurt with an unexpected reroute through LHR on the way back due to a delayed flight. Places where I saw DCC:

Frankfurt Marriott - this was the last place I ever got hit with DCC in March 2013. I proactively asked to be charged in EUR, and I never got to see the rate. I did see the receptionist press cancel to opt out.

Hilton Frankfurt Airport - The receptionist opted out of DCC on the preauth, but the rate was around 3.3%; the terminal wasn't facing me, but I assumed the torso over counter position that percysmith taught me to make sure there were no schenanigans. I was unable to get a separate sale receipt upon checkout, but after consultation both percysmith and I believe I am okay. To be fair, receptionists were proactively offering currency choices for DCC

Fortnum & Mason at LHR T5 - This terminal is in the full control of the customer. It offered me a rate of 1.4249 USD/GBP. I just compared this to the Visa rate of June 26th, which is 1.436624 USD/GBP! Is this one of those once in a blue moon cases where DCC was actually in the customer's favor?! :eek::eek::eek: Not having the Visa exchange rate immediately handy, I opted out of course. What's interesting to note also is that the Piccadilly location of Fortnum & Mason in the city did not offer DCC about 6 weeks ago when I was there.

No DCC Detected - Mantis Bar & Grill (Frankfurt), Vapiano Cafe (Frankfurt), Autogrill (The Squaire/Frankfurt Airport), McDonald's (Airport City Mall/Frankfurt), Rewe Grocery Store (The Squaire/Frankfurt Airport), Relay (Frankfurt Airport T2), and WH Smith (LHR T5)

Surprised to see the DCC option twice today in the Netherlands:
Volendam Cheese Factory
Volendam bakery/cookie store

Option for USD appeared first on the credit card machine. Obviously, selected Euros.

Don't remember seeing that on one of those portable credit card machines.

What would you do?
 

Was hit by DCC in a Shanghai restaurant (everything elsewhere charged me CNY/RMB) with a 7% surcharge.

I received the SGD pre-approved for SGD and rejected it, asking for CNY.

They first told me that they needed the manager's code to unlock the terminal option.

OK I was willing to wait for the manager for 10 minutes.

Manager came and played for a while with the terminal, telling me that they used to be able to do that but that the bank had changed the firmware and that now the option was not available anymore, they would have to call the bank for instructions.

OK, I waited another 25 minutes, with my local Chinese friend doing the translations both ways.

Then they told me the firmware was the most recent and that the bank couldn't change it.

I had waited for too long, I signed (even though it says "I was offered a choice of payment currencies and my choice is final") and told them I would fill a claim with Mastercard.

How does one go to fill a claim with MC ?

Julien

In the future, you can deface the receipt. Cross out the "I was offered a choice..." and write "Forced DCC" on the receipt before signing it.

You don't file a claim with MasterCard. Instead you ask the bank that issued your card to file a chargeback against the merchant and process the transaction in local currency. For MasterCard, it's a "Reason Code 4846 Chargeback". MasterCard is more permissive than Visa and, in theory, even seems to allow buyer's remorse for DCC selection.

You would begin the process by filing a dispute with your bank stating that you were not offered the option of paying in local currency and request a Reason Code 4846 chargeback to the merchant.




In other news, the Fortnum and Mason transaction posted as $118.00. It turns out I would have been worse off with DCC given the volatility of the recent USD/GBP exchange rate:

Original Amount: £86.95
DCC Offer: $123.90 (1.4249 $/£)
Posted Amount: $118.00 (1.357064 $/£ using the 6/28 Visa rate)

Amount saved by avoiding DCC: $5.90
Effective DCC Markup: 5.00% (-0.82% compared to the 6/26 Visa rate of 1.436624 $/£)

(deleted)

I made a recent trip to Hong Kong. While I used mostly the balance on my Octopus card, there were two credit card transactions subject to DCC:

Francfranc:

Original Amount: HK$578.50
DCC Offer: $79.06 (6% DCC markup!)
Posted Amount: $74.58 (0.128928 $/HK$ using the 7/4 Visa rate)

Amount saved by avoiding DCC: $4.48

http://i.imgur.com/8cRkCFVm.jpg

Courtyard Hong Kong

Original Amount: HK$2376
DCC Offer: $321.34 (4.9% DCC markup!)
Posted Amount: $306.31 (0.128920 $/HK$ using the 7/5 Visa rate)

Amount saved by avoiding DCC: $15.03

http://i.imgur.com/XHrwkL5m.jpg

Do you often find that the merchant clearly indicates on the receipt what the markup percentage will be, e.g., your CY receipt spells out "...plus four pt. nine..."? Assuming that the customer bothers to read all this, at least they were warned.

Stating the markup is a Visa Product & Service Rules requirement.

VP&SR also state cardholders must always have a choice and that DCC is voluntary. As if that rule is always observed.

I bet the choice of words instead of numerals is deliberate, to be more subtle. A paragraph of English isn't likely to be read fully, but if the numerals "4.9%" were there, people might take notice and pause to investigate.

Seth

Other times they won't even give the markup rate, simply the FX rate.

Important to note that it is only a Visa requirement, MasterCard doesn't require the markup be disclosed, e.g. this receipt from the wikipost in this thread: http://i.imgur.com/rO75yrlt.jpg