The second Franc Franc transaction posted without DCC, as expected. I'm still waiting for the Courtyard transaction to post. I didn't keep exact tabs, but I pieced together about $200 - and this is a conservative estimate - of money saved by opting out of DCC.

Furthermore, this only includes the known DCC transactions. There were about $2000 in charges in Taiwan where my wife proactively requested NTD. Many of these stores wouldn't get any foreign cards, so it's unlikely they'd have DCC. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, but it's really difficult to tell how prevalent DCC is in Taiwan outside of department stores and hotels.

In total I also probably saved close to $250 by using a 0% FTF card versus one with a 3% FTF. So without too much work and using the right credit card I was able to save at least $450 on expenses. Don't allow yourself to think that it's only a few dollars for DCC. In aggregate these charges do add up.

During future trips overseas I will meticulously track the pending/posted amounts and DCC offers. We should add a running total to the wiki about how much we've saved by just saying no to DCC. :)

Surely that's not a benefit to the cardholder. Sooner or later the payment processors will say finance charges and lard are good for us too!

I do the samething too after foreign trips, checking posted transactions everyday in the morning :D

What's Taiwan's major card network? Not Visa/MC?

Nice little reminder from my current best overseas earning bank (the one that only issues V/MCs) about DCC:

http://www.fubonbank.com.hk/web/doc/sh_notice140926.pdf

"Fubon Bank (Hong Kong) Limited (the “Bank”)
Reminder relating to Settling Foreign Currency Transaction in Hong Kong Dollars by Fubon Credit Card

Customers may sometimes be offered the option to settle foreign currency transactions in Hong Kong dollars at the point of sale overseas. Such option is a direct arrangement offered by the overseas merchants and not the card issuer. In such cases, customers are reminded to ask the merchants for the foreign currency exchange rates and the percentage of handling fees to be applied before the transactions are entered into since settling foreign currency transactions in Hong Kong dollars may involve a cost higher than the foreign currency transaction handling fee.

For details of the fee relating to settling foreign currency transaction in Hong Kong Dollars charged by the Bank, please refer to the latest Fubon Credit Card List of Service Charges. [currently 1.85%]"

The seven levels of DCC purgatory:

1. DCC optional but cashiers kept in the dark/encouraged/financially motivated to push DCC where it never works out ("Great choice!")

2. DCC selected without asking by cashier, language barrier or otherwise

3. DCC can be opt out but no going back (Harrods/Galleries Lafayette)

4. DCC requires specialist cashier's knowledge to disable (Global Payments Maldives answer no to "print next receipt")

5. DCC requires cashier to play a game of Wack-A-Mole with the cancel button (BoC Shetou)

6. Unavoidable DCC, present alternate payment (Global Payments HK)

7. Unavoidable DCC with locked down void button (St Regis Shenzhen)

We don't need a complaint, we need Global Payments Inc removed from the face of the earth. This company is doing the world as good as service as the Nazi Party. Is there somewhere where we can crowdsource a drone hit?

Most cards at Visa/MC from what I've seen. What I was saying is that it is likely most of the stores don't even offer DCC because it is rare that they see a card not denominated in TWD. I don't know whether or not the acquirer doesn't offer it or they simply don't have the service enabled. At department stores in major cities and at international hotel chains it is more common to see travelers from abroad, and I've come to expect DCC from these locations.

In short, you'll get screwed in the exchange rate if you accept DCC.

I think I can deal with 1-3. Being proactive is key even if it results in a few blank stares or surprised looks. 4 and 5 are more variable and depend a lot on the patience and willingness of the cashier. What I really want is to eliminate the unlockable terminals. I can tolerate the merchant persuasion or systems that opt you in if you don't say anything, but things like the Greyhound Cafe's terminal need to go.

Majuki - I've relabelled unlockable into hard-coded - unlockable seems to suggest there's a way around DCC with those terminals.

Didn't I read a case about an unlockable terminal? I remember there being one where the manager didn't have the code to disable DCC.

Or unavoidable?

St. Regis Decanter - the DCC was unavoidable and the void button was locked down (took me 30 mins to get a manager with admin passcode to void the slip)

Some coding in the unlockable terminal like this?

If (DCC_Choice == true) // Perform DCC
{
Perform_DCC_Transaction();
}
else if (DCC_Choice == false) // Customer opt out DCC
{
Perform_DCC_Transaction();
}

The only way DCC benefits customers is that bank doesn't charge 3% on foreign transaction fees, and two days later of the transaction there is a huge dip (more than 5%) of the home currency. This way if letting Visa/MC deal with the exchange, the posting exchange rate would cost more than 5%...

Update:

I faxed in all the information to the dispute center last week. I received a call this morning and they advised me again that the service was rendered and they have no control of how the merchant decides to charge. I explained once more that they've incorrectly charged in USD instead of the local merchant currency as indicated on the signed receipt. She repeated that Chase has no say in how merchants charge.

I attempted to explain Visa's regulations, Chargeback 76, etc etc. She didn't want to know about it, nor learn about it, nor cared about it.

She asked me what the difference was, and I said $3.xx. She said she will initiate a credit of $4.00 and close out the dispute.

Except most cards will that do charge a FTF will charge it even if you DCC.

Of course most of us here probably have 0% FTF cards.

Let me correct that for you:

// If (DCC_Choice == true) // Perform DCC
// {
Perform_DCC_Transaction();
// }
// else if (DCC_Choice == false) // Customer opt out DCC
// {
// Perform_DCC_Transaction();
// }

:D