I use Android pay almost exclusively in Poland. Most places never ask about currency, some do - even with android pay - and there's a few who force it.

It's rare though and every single time it's happened automatically (ignoring when the person behind the counter messes up), it's been restaurants.

Data point regarding Canada: Except for an airport ATM, I didn't see a single instance of DCC. The airport ATM respected the choice to have visa do the conversion and was not overly aggressive.

This was for 4 days, everything from the local corner supermarket to spots in touristy areas to even the airport duty free. Purchases were a mix of contactless card, google pay, and chip (no pin or signature).

It definitely exists, but it's not forced as long as you know to decline it. In Canada, the customer should have control of the payment terminal the entire transaction, so the customer should be able to select appropriately for any DCC prompts.

I've seen DCC in taxis and in a couple of restaurants. It's not the norm. Recent data points have all been in British Columbia.

Good to know thanks. I was traveling throughout the Ontario Province, so maybe it's more prevalent on the west coast then.

I would agree that contactless does seem to avoid a DCC prompt in most cases. I am unsure if it is by design or the folks that design the DCC software have not gotten around to updating the software flow yet.

Yes, I did find one major retailer in the UK that still forced the DCC prompt on tap transactions. It was about 3-5% above the wholesale rate and did seem unique. It was not difficult to opt-out, but it definitely is possible to get the prompt even with a NFC tap.

This has been reported in a few instances. Which retailer did the DCC for contactless transactions? Fortunately in the UK, I've seen the ability to opt out 100% of the time.

That definitely isn't compliant and is post facto DCC. This is one time when I'm glad that US cards are signature preferring. You can refuse to sign and have them reprocess the transaction or, in the worst case, deface the receipt and take a photo for a dispute.

This was Harrods (downtown location).

I get that DCC is bad, but what is even worse is the VAT refund process. The companies (retailer and processing company) take so much of the refund that it is ridiculous. Now, you can't even get a card VAT refund without them putting a forced exchange fee unless your card is in the currency of the original transaction. Belongs in a different thread I know...

Thanks. I remember percysmith had an issue with Harrods a number of years ago, but I think they've fixed their implementation. I haven't purchased anything from the Knightsbridge location since before I had contactless cards and mobile payment options. The airport location disallowed a mobile payment about to years ago saying it exceeded the limit.

The VAT refund process is a scam and has been talked about here for lack of a better thread. I scoured the options with Global Blue, and there weren't any good solutions. Even getting a cash refund in local currency had a fee. The only way would be getting a refund to a Visa/MC that has a native currency of the country in which the refund was processed. However, since EU country residents are ineligible for the refunds, I don't know how common it would be where one would have a Euro denominated card if not a resident.

Maybe something like TransferWise or Revolut (once the latter officially reopens to Americans)?

I was thinking about Revolut, but what would be the card's native currency? I haven't figured out a way to get the full VAT refund without Global Blue getting a cut. Yes, it's better than nothing, but I remember taking a DCC level hit to the refund amount the one time I did it in Europe.

In the past, the currency code on the Revolut card's chip was GBP. However, who knows how it'll be set up for Americans. (I'm still waiting on a card from them, so assuming that I actually do receive it at some point, that'll be something I check.)

It's also possible they use the BIN or some other mechanism for determining the "native" currency, despite multi-currency cards IIRC officially being a thing in the MC rules.

I've had similar experiences as you. I agree with you and I can't emphasize it enough, do not let the cashier control the terminal.

I have a Schwab debit card and a few ATMs in Poland have asked me whether I want to withdraw in USD at rip-off rate...

still getting the occasional forced DCC with Android pay...

Fellow member terryversay encountered DCC at ZRH duty free store while using Apple Pay with a US Bank Altitude. This confirms another instance in Switzerland where DCC was still present even with a contactless payment. He was able to opt out successfully and proceed with the charge in CHF.

http://i.imgur.com/L7My1Mom.jpg