and also how public transport is a much better option there (the tube after all is a world class transport system while a comparable option is not available in many, if not most American cities.)

That seems to be the general opinion but outside of London most public transport is shocking in the UK. On weekends a lot of public transport isn't even running. I don't have much better experiences in a lot of other non-capital European cities (although some are good).

Agreed, but it's still a lot better than American public transport. Try public transport here outside of the largest cities.

I suppose it would be better to say "What public transport?" from my experience in the US :P

Thank you! Not long ago a friend of mine was telling me how wonderful it was that BHV in Paris (owned by Galeries Lafayette iirc) could charge her in Australian dollars, therefore saving her oodles of money. Hard as I tried I could not convince her to select euros next time she was faced with DCC. I'm going to commit your post to memory as it explains beautifully and clearly what I was trying to tell her.

Mass transit in Asia, especially Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Singapore are equally as good as European cities, IMO. And these are actually the cities where mass transit is actually profitable, so much that they are actually list themselves as a for profit corporations (so technically, "public" transit isn't the right word for mass transit in Asia) in their respective stock exchanges because everyone uses transit to get around. Can you imagine the LA Metro, Chicago CTA, or the NYC Metro as a for profit corporation publicly listed on the NYSE? LOL

Me neither, and that is baffling me...

Also, I've pulled some transactions from statements.

Here are the ones from CSP:

05/31 IPPUDO SINGAPORE 38.5206/02 POPEYES CHICKEN & BISCUIT SINGAPORE 12.7705/31 JUMBO SEAFOOD PTE LTD SINGAPORE 94.02Ones from United Club card:

06/01 SINGAPORE ZOO-TICKETING SINGAPORE 102.1805/31 DFS VENTURE S P/L - SCOTT SINGAPORE 37.5206/02 SINGAPORE FLYER PL SINGAPORE 52.6705/31 COLD STORAGE-BJ SINGAPORE 24.58You see for posting date 6/1, Club vs CSP is 0.798297872 / 0.798176543 max, which is 0.015% higher; and for 6/2 is 0.798051948 / 0.797996944 max, which is 0.007% higher. Also, you see Club rates are always higher than CSP, no exceptions.

Visaeurope.com gives 0.7983390000 for 6/1 and 0.7983390000 for 6/2, and Visa.com gives 0.798260 for 6/1 and 0.798260 for 6/2.

I've got one of those too... :D

06/05 IPPUDO AUSTRALIA PTY SYDNEY 73.87Let's compare my use of CSP:

06/06 PAPINELLE PTY LTD PADDINGTON 207.0106/07 PLINE PH WORLD SQ SYDNEY 37.7606/07 FUJIYA JAPANESE REST SYDNEY 69.60with my use of the Marriott Rewards Premier card:

06/08 GUZMAN Y GOMEZ WORLD SYDNEY 22.9506/10 COLES QUEENS PLAZA QLD 13.6406/08 MCDONALDS WYNYARD RAM SYDNEY 7.59The exchange rates on the Marriott card seem to be slightly higher on average than the CSP, and both rates are higher than the Visa USA rate of 0.936106 for June 9th. If you use the June 9th Visa USA rate, you'll get discrepancies for most of the posted transaction amounts. However, if I look at the Account Activity online, I see that all of the transactions actually have a Post Date of June 10th. If instead I use the Visa USA rate for June 10th, which was 0.936706, you will find all of the posted amounts will match if you take each transaction's AUD amount, multiply it by the 0.936706 rate, and round to the nearest cent. It's a bit cumbersome, but I believe this method should work when requesting credit for a forced DCC transaction. In summary for Chase cards:

1. Save your receipt and wait for the transaction to post to the Account Activity online
2. Use the Visa USA exchange rate from the Post Date and multiply the exchange rate by the amount of the local currency on the receipt
3. Subtract the result from the USD amount on your receipt to determine the dollar amount by which you were overcharged due to DCC
4. File a dispute with Chase for this amount and request a Reason Code 76 chargeback stating that you were not offered the option of paying in the local currency

With respect I disagree:

To tell whether you've been DCCed: if card currency amount (us$ in your case) on the slip matches posted amount, DCC.

Reason code 76 chargeback: always ask for full chargeback in the first instance. Never offer to calculate what the amount should have been as it is merchant's obligation to post in local currency properly after chargeback completed. Only where issuer does not offer to chargeback do you accept a calculated settlement.

I'm glad it can provide some talking points for you to try to convince your friend. If you read back a couple of posts, you will find similar stories where a number of us have attempted to convince friends, family and traveling companions to avoid DCC and always request local currency.

I don't know if Australian card issuers use currency conversion fees or foreign transaction fees. In the US, pretty much all issuers now use foreign transaction fees for cards that have them, so you'll get hit with the FTF even if you choose DCC.

A quick way to end any argument with DCC is ask the person why would the merchant be providing such a service if there was no economic benefit to the merchant? There's good money to be made in currency conversion, and you needn't look further than any of the currency exchange booths at an international airport. The merchant provides DCC as a value-added service, and the customer pays a premium for using that service.

I guess zyxlsy have been wasting a lot of time on a pointless exercise. :) You're the expert on Reason Code 76 chargebacks, so in the event I ever have to file one, I will do it for the full amount. I've never pursued a chargeback for DCC, but when I've done domestic transactions in which I've been overcharged the issuer has always asked me by how much. I incorrectly assumed the procedure would be similar for DCC.

But hey... it's not really my job to figure out by how much I've been overcharged with DCC now is it? The merchant brought on this problem, so it's on the merchant to fix it. :p

You've got a big party going to IPPUDO in Sydney, or it costs twice much than Singapore :confused:

Regarding the posting date issue, you are saying even though the posting date listed in the statement is 6/9, it is actually 6/10 by looking at the activities page? I will go back and check it out...

@percysmith: The Chase's online dispute system requires you to input the correct amount for any dispute. Therefore, we were trying to figure out what kind of number we should use.

I haven't tried disputing DCC with Chase for months, as I didn't get many (just one). I don't know whether Chase's system has changed, but I remember I couldn't simply request a "reason code 76 chargeback" without filing a dispute online, thus requiring the "correct amount" as it couldn't be left blank...

zxylsy - oh. I'm not aware Chase's system works like that. In HK we file paper forms and I fill in foreign currency that should have been charged (even if the forms ask for HKD).

That way, the bank has no easy claim to pay me off and have to chargeback the issuer and merchant instead. Which is exactly what I want done.

In Chase's system, it's like they ask for a correct amount, and all the instances I encountered, they just credit you the difference.

So this "correct amount" is kinda important. No so high that we feel guilty, but not so low that we lose money...

Also, having been following your posts, I see you pay particular attention to the difference between being charged in HKD and being charged in foreign currencies. I think this may be because HK banks give extra promo miles for foreign currency charges?

With Chase, it doesn't matter, so whether the merchant charges you which currency, the final number is gonna be USD, whether DCC does that for you, or Visa does that for you. And, the miles we get is only related to the final USD number.

In case you get credit for the DCC difference, you just get less miles according to that difference. It is all post-currency-conversion.

Therefore I don't have the absolute pressure to pursue chargebacks. If the gap is filled by whomever, I am all OK. :D

Yes (many of them):

https://www.redhotoffers.hsbc.com.hk...erchant-offer/

"13.Cardholders...are entitled to receive an extra $1 RewardCash for every HK$20 equivalent spent in respect of each single overseas transaction (as defined in Clause 14)

14.Overseas transactions are transactions conducted outside Hong Kong and in any currency except Hong Kong Dollars. "

http://www.citibank.com.hk/english/c...p=HKENCCPWAGD2

"4. This promotion applies to "Eligible Transactions" made by the Eligible Card during the Promotion Period. Eligible Transactions include

a. "Eligible Local Transactions" which refer to all local retail transactions, monthly installments of the newly-billed interest-free installment plan and cash advances posted during the Promotion Period and made in Hong Kong dollars, Renminbi & Macau Patacas.
b. "Eligible Overseas Transactions" which refer to all overseas retail transactions and cash advances posted during the Promotion Period and made in foreign currencies (excluding Renminbi & Macau Patacas)

5. ...Cardholders...can enjoy the "Promotional Miles Earn Rate" on "Subsequent Local Transactions" or "Subsequent Overseas Transactions" (i.e. HK$5,001 and above subsequent Eligible Transactions) in the same respective phase, as shown below...

...Promotional Miles Earn Rate on Subsequent Local Transactions...HK$5,000 HK$5,001 and above HK$5= 1 Asia Miles


...Promotional Miles Earn Rate on Subsequent Overseas Transactions...HK$5,001 and above HK$2= 1 Asia Miles "

[Also, Citi HK has prohibited the awarding of any points whatsoever on DCC transactions so a HK$ transaction not incurred in HK can be understood to earn no points/miles. That's why I stopped the boat at Taj Exotica Maldives]