A small island in the Mediterranean.

Do you care to name and shame the restaurant?

This isn't completely accurate. In a full Reason Code 76 chargeback Chase would send the transaction back to the acquirer for the restaurant, and the transaction would be reprocessed in euros. Typically the acquirer will penalize the merchant for a chargeback. It's a fantastic headache for the merchant, and I relish any opportunity to do this for those in on the DCC scam.

I would have stood my ground and demanded that the restaurant void the transaction. Your chosen path unfortunately allows the restaurant to get away with this without penalty. You can still file a chargeback when you get home. I seriously hope you didn't tip...

I am traveling, and packed up my receipts. I'll shame when I write my Trip Advisor review. Thanks for the clarification for the Code 76 procedure. I concur with the last statement in that a forced void would have been ideal, but a bit more time consuming for me as I was already pressed for time. And, no, I absolutely did not tip, and would have if this had not occurred.

As a best practice with chip and signature transactions I take a photo with my phone of any receipt that I sign or quote slip that indicates a choice. In any situation where there is forced DCC, I would write "local option not offered" and cross out the DCC verbiage at the bottom.

After you get home, if you have the receipt, you can contact Chase about a chargeback for DCC stating that the merchant did not offer the opportunity to void the transaction and rerun without DCC.

To be reprocessed in EUR, I think that the restaurant needs to submit evidence that the customer has agreed to the EUR amount. Some merchants may be unaware of how the process works or that the merchant needs to do something and if they do not act, the customer probably gets everything back.

The merchant also has to pay a fee of possibly a few tens of euros to the bank for processing the chargeback, so settling for the xe.com exchange rate and refunding in cash was probably a lot cheaper for the restaurant than using the chargeback process.

There's still the chargeback route, which is what I would still suggest the OP pursue. "I wasn't offered the ability to pay in local currency."

Would that work considering that OP got refunded in cash already? (Never mind the ethical considerations.)

I imagine the payment networks would prefer the route of using the reason codes rather than some backroom deal. The Reason Code 76 chargeback is simply using the sanctioned way to ensure that currency choice is enforced. The fact that the merchant acquiesced so quickly leads me to believe the restaurant knows exactly what's happening.

If a merchant performs a fraudulent transaction, there are at least three ways for the customer to correct the transaction amount.

1. Request a chargeback.
2. Sue the merchant in the merchant's jurisdiction. Pay attention to who's paying the legal costs as those could be substantial.
3. Settle for compensation out of court.

This customer chose method 3 and the merchant accepted. Since both parties agreed to some amount, I do not think that it is possible for the customer to seek additional compensation by using one of the other methods.

I was offered DCC at a tourist-heavy knife shop in Japan this week, but the offer was made on the payment screen and the clerk said "you want to be charged in yen, right?" as soon as the interface showed up. A quick nod and she touched the Japanese flag and the receipt generated in JPY and the charge posted in JPY.

It displayed a Japanese flag and a US flag and the prices in each. The DCC markup was about 3% over the Visa rate for the day.

I had rarely encountered DCC in Japan, and I guess still have, but had gone for several weeks without seeing it at all until this knife shop.

I've seen more shops have them now, but in every case I encountered my request to charge in JPY is always honoured.

Maltese Mama...i wasn't going to post it here, but the management's reply on Trip Advisor is b........ If the folks honestly made a mistake, and were apologetic, that would be one thing, but the 'new guy' claim with the clear change in demeanor, doesn't work for me.

I wonder how often that even happens though. In my recent case, Chase just credited me the difference pretty much immediately. I suspect they just wear it because going through the process would cost them more human effort than the amount being disputed.

That's why I asked if you would call out the restaurant. The restaurant (and other merchants) know what they're doing. Why do you think they were so quick to change their tune about offering a cash refund? I have no doubt that there are likely some merchants off of the beaten path who have no idea that DCC is turned on - there was a report here of a dry cleaner in Alabama a few weeks ago, but a restaurant in St. Julian's? Let's be honest.

For small amounts, US issuers are just as likely to eat the cost. It's similar to fraudulent charges where they're unlikely to pursue a merchant chargeback for small amounts. There have been a few reports of successful Reason Code 76 chargebacks with Chase, however. I don't know what the threshold would be.

Uh oh...back again. Had a change in travel plans and booked a ticket on MH (MH metal using MH website), paid with my Chase CSR. Given a choice - USD or MYR. I chose MYR. I now see my charge is $279 vs. $262 as quoted. I have a clear receipt stating $262 USD. Is this disputable?