Yep. Fortunately it has not been too much of a problem yet. I've only had to deal with DCC at hotels or in countries where I know the language or am with a native speaker.

If Marriott is pulling the DCC scam on non-USD cards in the US, that is ripe for a class action lawsuit. Again, it's not the fault of the front desk clerk. I doubt many of them know about DCC, and even fewer guests even make an issue out of it. The worst part about DCC is that it's not even something 99% of people are aware of. For example, at least with those ignorant of either EMV or merchant liability for a mag stripe transaction, there is at least a learning opportunity. If your card keeps getting refused, you're probably going to wonder why. With DCC, nobody really complains.

For now I always request local currency and watch the recipt like a hawk. If they try, intentionally or not, to pass me a receipt with the deceptive lie of "I have been offered a choice and..." I will kindly ask the merchant to void the transaction and start over. I will always refuse to sign the receipt. I'm not above bringing out the ugly American personality to get the job done.

I have mentioned before, when the scam happened to me at the Frankfurt Marriott about a year ago, I complained to Marriott directly and had a correspondence with the general manager at the hotel who offered me many more Marriott Rewards points than the DCC fee for the inconvenience. Most recently the DCC verbiage was on my hotel bill at Hotel Arts in Barcelona, but I requested to pay in euros at checkout and the DCC-free credit card slip appeared.

To cause even more confusion, I've found a lot of Starwood hotels have started quoting the bill in £s (And I assume whatever currency the country your from uses) looking like its DCC and when you check out they do actually charge you in local currency, its just an indicative amount.

In this particular case, I 100% had been hit with DCC, but this certainly adds to the confusion. One trick I have applied - don't know if it's effective - is using my AmEx Platinum at check-in time for the authorization hold but then switching to my Marriott Visa upon checkout to settle the bill. Since AmEx doesn't have DCC, at least not yet, I've been able to avoid the DCC verbiage.

Do you have status at Marriott Rewards? If so, writing a letter to the upper management to stop this auto-DCC charge could help. You could say along the lines of "I have been using Marriott for X years, but lately I've been hit with DCC, if this stuff continues, I'm switching my business to Hyatt/Hilton/etc."

Yes, I suppose I should put my words where my thread is and contact Marriott Rewards. I do like Marriott properties, but I don't like the uphill battle at any hotel overseas to stop DCC.

I can't say Marriott DCCs as a rule. I've been charged Euros on my HKD Visa card from the AC Hotel Carlton Madrid without issue (unless AC Hotels are not full Marriott hotels...?)

DCC (very Modest) Success Story with Chase
 

I charged a couple of breakfasts at a hotel on Soi 13 in Bangkok a few months ago using a Chase INK card.

The cashier presented me with a charge slip in US Dollars and didn't understand anything I said about doing the charge in Baht. Don't think he was faking. But I wrote choice of currency not offered, incorrectly billed in US Dollars on the charge slip (probably should have photographed the slip but did not have my cell).

When the charge for $12 odd dollars came through I called Chase (yes, I know about the legal need for written notice to billing error address) and disputed the entire charge. Chase mailed me some paperwork about what was the problem--the usual foolishness since I had fully explained the problem to the phone rep. Never sent back the paperwork--my bad.

But, amazingly enough, just got a notice from Chase that they have credited the entire charge to my account. Took 'em about three months, but, I assume they sent a request for info to the hotel which never responded. Or, maybe they just ate the charge.

Saved about 50 cents and struck a blow for consumer rights! :D^

As we said before, many of the Marriots in the UK have slipped into the check slip they pressure you to sign without reading (a la Avis) a notation that you agree to be billed in your currency. Don't know how this is handled at Marriots in the USA for non USA credit cards.

I hope consumers can figure out a way to push back against this. It's unfortunate that the best course of action is to say pay with Amex or cash but that's the only way to be safe for most people.

...and of course most non premium Amex cards have a 2.7% foreign currency fee.

Haha. Whats even more messed up in the UK is the fact that American Express themselves charge 2.99% on all of their cards (including plat) yet other UK banks issue free or very low annual fee cards (were talking equiv to 30 usd) that run on the Amex network and have no foreign fees.

Did Chase reverse the DCC charge and post a baht charge back?

Now for this hotel-contract-small print issue, can we make a stamp or sticker effective saying something like "Notwithstanding any fine prints in this document, I hereby reject any consent to be DCC'd."?

The relevant requirements in the VIOR are:

https://usa.visa.com/download/mercha...n.pdf#page=530

"- Cardholder expressly agrees to DCC by marking an "accept" box on the written agreement"

The trouble is merchants don't even require a signature. Consider the two following cases:

- Shenzhen - Mastercard presented for deposit, nothing in check-in slip nor booking engine suggested DCC, told hotel will simply post the deposit on checkout, only found out about DCC when deposit post refused and a seperate charge is signed

- Amsterdam - Non-cancellable hotel rate charged on check-in, nothing mentioned about DCC until statement review in HK

In the second case (and the first case if express checkout agreed to) there is nothing for the cardholder to stamp - the card info was submitted online and the booking was all done online.

This is an especially nasty problem in jurisdictions like Hong Kong and Singapore where (in violation of the VIOR) banks do not do anything until you present a prima facie case to force them to.

According to the note I got in the US Mail from Chase they are crediting the entire amount to my account in Dollars=the same amount Chase originally charged me with the DCC.