I did wonder how they could do that - but I think other companies follow their lead. I've used Uber before when traveling Internationally - and wasn't provided any option to choose currency. Just billed in home currency. Not sure if their conversion rate was good/poor however (it was so cheap I didn't care much).

I don't know if this is technically DCC. From what I remember, when you use Uber internationally, the price they quote is in your home currency, so no conversion is taking place. You signed up for Uber in your home country, and they are billing you from your home country using a merchant account based in that country. The "transaction" takes place in your home country, even if the ride took place elsewhere.

It seems a bit different from a brick-and-mortar store that actually displays prices in one currency and charges you in another.

I only have one data point, and it was Uber Taxi in Australia about a year ago. They quoted and billed in AUD, which got converted to USD through Visa. The billing merchant was listed as "UBER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD SAN FRANCISCO".

Hmm ok, I could be wrong about that. I haven't used it internationally in a while, and the amount is usually low enough that I wouldn't really care.

I've made six Uber journeys recently. Five in the UK (home country) and one in Greece.

UK were all charged in GBP, but processed in the Netherlands.
Greece was charged in EUR (MasterCard did the conversion) and processed in Greece.

Just used uber in Japan and Singapore and was charged in JPY and SGD.

Had lunch at the Halászbástya in BUD this weekend, the waiter explicitly asked if we wanted to be charged in EUR or HUF while handing over the CC POS terminal. Based on my response he pushed the right button for HUF. First time I experienced that. ^

Has anyone had any success with challenging an 'overcharge' with the card issuer. Both recent cases for me (last two weeks)...

1) Barclay's Arrival + - Thailand - an elephant 'rescue' - made a gift shop purchase; was advised there was going to be a fee; my purchase, in Thai Baht, included the aforementioned fee. Then the credit card was charged in Baht, but converted to USD, at a poor exchange rate. I was not given the choice of Baht vs. USD - the staff just did it. And I signed the receipt, shame on me, and then read the fine print indicating that I CHOSE this method of payment, which I did not. Questioning it, the previously communicative staff, in English, suddenly became mute. I e-mailed the manager of the park, who has insisted, including on TripAdvisor, that it ALWAYS charges in Baht. My credit card statement indicates otherwise.

2) Chase UA Club - Poland - a reputable restaurant. Placed my order and handed her the card for payment. I was not asked what currency I preferred, I did not insert the card myself and chose a currency, I did not sign a receipt nor did I enter a PIN. The entre transaction took place before I even thought about it. Same fine print on the receipt...'I accept that I have been offered a choice of currencies...'. That is clearly not the case. I asked, but the rather young staff told me that this is how they are told to process credit card transactions. I am going to dispute this charge.

(Note that in the grocery store last night, in Krakow, the cashier, I quote, 'Zloty, correct, it is cheaper for you', so these establishments know exactly what they are doing.)

Last time I has one was years ago and with Chase. Difference was credited quite quickly.

Speaking of Chase, the only company to offer DCC to me in the UAE was a Holiday Inn Express, when I was paying with an IHG Mastercard. Accepting DCC would have added exactly 5% extra.

Can I ask which grocery store? My experience in Poland (in Krakow, Gdansk and Warsaw) suggested none of the larger grocery stores offered DCC. It would be nice to know where this is, so I can be on the ball if the cashier isn't so fortcoming about the currency choice.

Thailand is generally good about currency selection, but DCC is common there. It pays to be vigilant. It's always the same story in cases like this too. Friendly, helpful cashiers who are engaged in pleasant conversation seem to turn 180° once they know that you're complaining about DCC. In the future, you can follow the best practice here of defacing the receipt before signing. Cross out the DCC language, exchange rate, write "local option not offered", sign the receipt, and take a photo with your phone (if possible). It's less than ideal, but it offers some peace of mind when disputing the transaction with the card issuer down the road. The good thing about MasterCard is that, unlike Visa, offers a buyer's remorse for DCC. It is more permissive in the case of a signed receipt.

You can file a dispute with Barclaycard stating that you were not given a choice of Thai Baht (THB) and were forced to pay in USD via Dynamic Currency Conversion. When this was pointed out to the merchant, they refused to void the original transaction and rerun the transaction in Thai Baht (THB). Given the circumstances, you were forced to signed the receipt for the original transaction but had clearly communicated intent to the merchant to be charged Thai Baht (THB). You are requesting a Reason Code 4846 chargeback pursuant to MasterCard's card acceptance guidelines and want the transaction processed again in Thai Baht.

I just checked my AAdvantage Aviator account - I don't have the Arrival+ - but there was no facility for an online dispute:
Poland is another really bad case when it comes to DCC. You'll read of numerous reports on this thread talking about forced DCC or cashiers saying, "Let's see what happens." They know what's really going on...

If you didn't sign a receipt, you should be protected. An acceptance of DCC must be explicitly clear. Chase has a facility on their website to dispute a charge:

http://i.imgur.com/TTTBuz4m.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cVqBgqRm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/46VOYcdm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZcZh74rm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gW6mu2im.jpg

When I got to the final screen (I didn't click submit), I didn't see any field to put in additional text, but when Chase asks you about the transaction state that you were forced to pay in USD via Dynamic Currency Conversion and were never offered the option to select between USD and Polish Zloty (PLN). You are requesting a Reason Code 76 chargeback for Incorrect Currency or Transaction Code. Visa policy requires that merchants offer a choice of currencies and cannot force you to use a particular currency. Request that the transaction be processed in local currency, Polish Zloty (PLN), as you had originally requested at the time of the transaction.

Yes. I was inappropriately charged around $65 more on a +$1,000 hotel room bill. I disputed it with Chase, and the hotel never responded to the dispute so the entire $+1,000 bill disappeared.

That's another way how to handle things :D

When I called Chase, I only disputed the $65, but they put the whole bill in dispute, so it surely worked out for me. :)

Perhaps if everyone disputed these transactions, companies would eventually learn their lesson.

That's my hope too and the original motivation for starting the thread. While there is some hassle on the customer side, issuers are becoming more aware of DCC, and Chase especially seems to have it down to a science now. It's good when DCC happens on larger transactions because then it becomes impossible to issue a courtesy credit; the issuer is forced to pursue a chargeback. An issuer giving a courtesy credit certainly doesn't leave you out of pocket, but it lets the merchant get away with DCC without ramifications.

The whole bill has to be put in dispute, not just the "DCC Amount". You have to dispute the entire transaction because you're disputing the manner in which the transaction was processed. Instead of the transaction allowing Visa to do the currency conversion, the merchant's acquirer did the currency conversion and passed the transaction over Visa's network in USD, which resulted in a higher charge than if you had let Visa do the currency conversion. I believe from the merchant's perspective, the transaction doesn't change with a reason code 76 chargeback. The merchant will still be paid the same amount in the local currency. However, any profits shared with the merchant from DCC would likely be clawed back from the acquirer, and I don't know what penalty/processing fees there are in the case of a chargeback for the merchant.