Sigh, I am not sure if you want to call this DCC or not, but I just booked a flight on Scoot. It was in USD and when I was charged I realised they they billed in SGD, and Converted to USD. So, I basically paid an extra $25.

Annoys me because generally I can keep an eye on these things and not let this happen, but this one slipped by me.

It looks like Multi Currency Conversion to me

I dummy ticketed a SYD-SIN one-way that would have cost A$379.42 in AUD and entered a HK card for it:

Citibank: <One-Time-Password> Always bank safely, never share the One-Time-Password, your user id and password. You have initiated an online transaction with your credit card ending with 1234 at Scoot Pte Ltd for HKD2152.46. Any doubt call +85228600333. One-Time-Password for this transaction: 123455

It didn’t seek an authorisation in AUD, which would have been what I was expecting.

I wouldn’t know whether it will post in AUD, SGD or HKD, I’m not completing the transaction.

Google translated the A$379.42 as HK$2,011.62, an exact, undisclosed 7.00% markup.

I’ve not expected any better from Scoot https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/othe...l#post25649164

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...cff95d6b7.jpeg


it had the USA dollars in the top right when I was shopping. But unless I missed it somehow, nothing indicating that it would invoice me in SGD, convert, and bill in USD.

(It is possible that they warned me, and I missed it, it could have been in the breakdown screen).

My travels have managed to avoid DCC for a while, but confronted it in several Australian hotels. Selected $A each time of course. Surprised to return home to see several of the transactions billed in $US, with an outrageous (though not Majuki outrageous) of 4-5%.

I think what happened was I selected $A when checking in for the preauthorization. But then when I checked out they ran the card again automatically (i.e. express checkout) and they self-selected DCC.

I've contacted the hotels . . . but expect to dispute.

As a best practice when overseas and using Visa/MC at hotels, I always check out at the front desk in person. You got what was called back office DCC on those transactions.

Always check the receipt, making sure no DCC. Keep a copy of zeroed out bill in

The foreign currency. Bach office may still override and charge in home currency.

see https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30054862-post441.html. As an example Response.

Just spent a week in Italy, have not encountered any DCC attempts (credit card use only, no ATM).

The DCC offer at the Aloft in Tainan was 8%. The card terminal wasn't customer facing, but I was able to peer over the front desk to observe what the offer was. (This is a rare case where I was using a card other than an Amex at a Marriott property, but I had a 10% Chase offer on my CSR.)

Stomach lean https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...l#post17152376 :p:p:p?

Metro Bank London $97 DCC ATM fee
 

Just arrived in London and went into a Metro Bank to use their ATM to get some cash. Pretty jet-lagged, so it took me a while to process the ATM screen.

I asked for 500 GBP and the ATM offered that amount for $755.06, with “conversion.” The rate they quoted was GBP = 1.510128. They then had two options: “continue without conversion “ or “continue with conversion. “

Luckily, I realized that I should forgo the conversion, and Fidelity notified me that my 500 GBP withdrawal cost $657.95, or $97.11 less than the bank’s DCC rate and nearly exactly the amount a forex app said was the exchange rate.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...66af766af.jpeg

As this site is dedicated to earning points and miles, I'll let my curiosity get the better of me: Why would you want such a large amount of cash? Or indeed any cash? In my last 3 trips to London, I've not spent a penny/cent in cash. Now that you can tap your card at stations instead of buying an Oyster card, credit cards cover pretty much everything. (I think I saw one restaurant a decade ago that didn't accept credit cards.)

While generally speaking I agree with you that in 2024 in the UK, there is little need for cash for day-to-day purchases, there are still valid reasons. For instance, I took out some cash at LHR in December for my parents who had an upcoming trip and felt more comfortable with cash on hand upon arrival. (The Travelex ATM offered a similar, absurd 15% DCC fee.)

While it's not the case for this post, some countries are still cash based, especially for de minimis purchases, such as Germany and Japan.

There could be a cash discount offered for a purchase that exceeds the anticipated value of any credit card rewards.

There could also be spending that isn't possible to charge to a credit card.

Another reason is that some of us have bank accounts in other countries. The easiest and cheapest way for me to get USD to a bank account in local currency is by withdrawing from an ATM at the destination. Since my issuer doesn't charge a fee for third party ATM use and reimburses ATM operator fees, there's no cost to me, assuming I can decline any DCC offers that the ATM presents.

Japan has got a lot better. I was there a couple of months ago, for the first time in over a decade. In Tokyo, every little restaurant I ate at took cards, which amazed me. Total reverse of last time when I needed to use cash all over the place. There are some perverse situations though, like the train ticket machines that accept credit cards for some kinds of tickets and not others. (And tickets to Haneda airport are one of the types which must be paid in cash!)

While this is true, cash or cash equivalents, such as an IC card, can in many cases be more convenient or universally accepted. Since I don't have an iPhone (or Japanese Android phone), I don't have a Suica card in a digital wallet with digital wallet top ups. For that, I top up my physical Suica card with cash from a 7-Eleven ATM, which does have DCC.

In keeping with the topic of this thread, I will also use cash for small transactions in places where forced DCC is ubiquitous. Some countries make it difficult, if not impossible, to opt out of DCC. While I might be inclined to fight a bunch of < US$5 charges with forced DCC on principle, I recognize that a card issuer in the US is more likely to simply issue a credit for a currency transaction dispute rather than pursuing a full chargeback with the merchant. In those cases, the merchant gets away with DCC on the transaction even if I as the customer am made whole.

My mother just went to Austria and got completely hosed on the DCC at the airport of all places(Euronet ATM I'm guessing) at 15% markup and she did it twice! she couldn't read the screen so clicked yes, Schwab had it written explicitly in their conditions that this would not be refunded so that was super painful ($1k Euros). I had only seen videos of these ATMS and not in person after visiting 20 countries (although not eastern europe)

Separately, was in Ireland and the Quinlan fish bar in Killarney and waitstaff insisted the machine would only charge in the currency the card was issued in which I know is not true but I didn't have time to argue with them or make them redo the transaction. I'm pretty sure even if that's the default there is a way to bypass. It's only $5 dollars (3.5%) but it's the principle of the matter and the waitstaff was all snooty about it. Chase doesn't actually have this as an option for a chargeback but VISA does if I recall correctly?
https://durangomerchantservices.com/...ations%20where