Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)
Feb 20, 2019, 6:32 am
#601
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I have US based Visa credit card issued by Chase that I use quite a bit for travel related expenses. Hence I have to be on the lookout for DCC. 
Mar 1, 2019, 3:48 am
#602
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Singapore, I forget the particulars but a UOB ATM at Harbourfront (I think in the MRT fare area) offered DCC.
Mar 5, 2019, 12:57 am
#603
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Cambridge, UK
Posts: 261
I was in Ukraine last weekend and came across an interesting DCC example at a PrivatBank (ПриватБанк) ATM.
Put my GBP debit card in the machine, asked to withdraw a few thousand UAH. Offered DCC, as expected. But it was changing it to EUR, not GBP. So my bank would still have to do a conversion. Rejected this and was offered it again. Refused a second time, next screen informs me there is a 150 UAH (~£4.25) fee for no-conversion. So I cancel transaction.
Another nearby ATM (IdeaBank) offered no DCC and had no charge - just the way I like it.
Otherwise I used a GBP credit card in bars, cafes, restaurants and shops seeing no DCC anywhere. Contactless and phone payments are very widely accepted, with some more expensive stores preferring it to cash.
Put my GBP debit card in the machine, asked to withdraw a few thousand UAH. Offered DCC, as expected. But it was changing it to EUR, not GBP. So my bank would still have to do a conversion. Rejected this and was offered it again. Refused a second time, next screen informs me there is a 150 UAH (~£4.25) fee for no-conversion. So I cancel transaction.
Another nearby ATM (IdeaBank) offered no DCC and had no charge - just the way I like it.
Otherwise I used a GBP credit card in bars, cafes, restaurants and shops seeing no DCC anywhere. Contactless and phone payments are very widely accepted, with some more expensive stores preferring it to cash.
Mar 6, 2019, 12:46 pm
#604
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,016
Put my GBP debit card in the machine, asked to withdraw a few thousand UAH. Offered DCC, as expected. But it was changing it to EUR, not GBP. So my bank would still have to do a conversion. Rejected this and was offered it again. Refused a second time, next screen informs me there is a 150 UAH (~£4.25) fee for no-conversion. So I cancel transaction.
The wrong card currency was identified, which should mean that you always are entitled to a correction of the currency to UAH if you used DCC. Also, it's not permitted to use fees or discounts to convince you to use DCC, so the fee should have been returned to you if you didn't use DCC.
Mar 6, 2019, 9:32 pm
#605
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I recently saw advertising for the Travelex prepaid card and I just realized something: with a currency conversion fee at 5.5%, use of such a card may be one of the few times where DCC makes sense. Assuming the DCC fee is below 5.5%, of course.
That said, there are much better cards than Travelex (even just paying the 3% FTF on a regular debit or credit card is better), so I imagine most people wouldn't even consider getting one. Not to mention that DCC in general is a horrible concept that shouldn't be encouraged at all.
That said, there are much better cards than Travelex (even just paying the 3% FTF on a regular debit or credit card is better), so I imagine most people wouldn't even consider getting one. Not to mention that DCC in general is a horrible concept that shouldn't be encouraged at all.
Mar 19, 2019, 1:09 pm
#606
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: UK
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A small hotel in Spain. Booked through booking.com, but full bill to pay on checkout. Very clear € bill. Very clear € instructions given. Very clear € on pin machine. Charged in GB£. Disgusting print out from terminal - "0% commission over wholesale rate". Actually a 6.5% markup over mastercard's daily rate. Charge back effected via NatWest. No replacement € charge made yet, but I'm happy if the hotel does that. It was a very small B&B type place and the owner appeared to not be overly commercially aware, so it may be Banco Popular (the terminal provider) over charging, or the owner is a good actor.
ETA: The MasterCard charge back code is now 4834 - p.168
https://www.mastercard.us/content/da...back-guide.pdf
ETA: The MasterCard charge back code is now 4834 - p.168
https://www.mastercard.us/content/da...back-guide.pdf
Last edited by rjn21; Mar 19, 2019 at 1:17 pm
Mar 19, 2019, 4:25 pm
#607
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
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Argh, last week I was DCCed at Europcar in Munich. The agent stuck my CSR Visa in a new terminal they have now to capture the credit card information and rapidly pressed buttons to get things done... I briefly saw the USD question but she was to fast. The rental contract mentioned something about the card currency and I asked her to fix it. Since I was in a rush I didn't have the patience and she insisted I would be charged in Euro. Sure enough the invoice says:
So instead of the interbank rate of 1.128 and a 44.70US$ charge they hit me with 1.163 and 46.10$
Disputed it today with Chase, who will refund me the 1.40 as usual, but its still annoying.
So instead of the interbank rate of 1.128 and a 44.70US$ charge they hit me with 1.163 and 46.10$
Disputed it today with Chase, who will refund me the 1.40 as usual, but its still annoying.
Mar 19, 2019, 11:09 pm
#608
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ETA: The MasterCard charge back code is now 4834 - p.168
https://www.mastercard.us/content/da...back-guide.pdf
https://www.mastercard.us/content/da...back-guide.pdf
My guess is they don't know they're being ripped off.
Mar 19, 2019, 11:29 pm
#609
Join Date: Mar 2006
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The pdf states:
POI Currency Conversion (Dynamic Currency Conversion) Chargeback Condition. One of the following:
1. The cardholder states that the cardholder was not given the opportunity to choose the desired currency in which the transaction was completed or did not agree to the currency of the transaction
2. POI currency conversion was performed incorrectly
Time Frame. 120 calendar days from the Central Site Business Date.
Message Reason Code. One of the following:
• 4834 for Dual Message System transactions
• 34 for Debit Mastercard transactions processed on the Single Message System
The following message reason codes may continue to be used, however, they will eventually be eliminated:
• 4846 (Correct Transaction Currency Code Not Provided) for Dual Message System transactions
• 46 (Correct Transaction Currency Code Not Provided) for Debit Mastercard transactions processed
on the Single Message System
1. The cardholder states that the cardholder was not given the opportunity to choose the desired currency in which the transaction was completed or did not agree to the currency of the transaction
2. POI currency conversion was performed incorrectly
Time Frame. 120 calendar days from the Central Site Business Date.
Message Reason Code. One of the following:
• 4834 for Dual Message System transactions
• 34 for Debit Mastercard transactions processed on the Single Message System
The following message reason codes may continue to be used, however, they will eventually be eliminated:
• 4846 (Correct Transaction Currency Code Not Provided) for Dual Message System transactions
• 46 (Correct Transaction Currency Code Not Provided) for Debit Mastercard transactions processed
on the Single Message System
Apr 12, 2019, 10:58 pm
#610
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Looks like DCC will no longer be allowed for prepaid Mastercards starting this summer: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-a8867606.html
Apr 12, 2019, 11:27 pm
#611
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Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
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Looks like DCC will no longer be allowed for prepaid Mastercards starting this summer: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-a8867606.html
.........it is extending the ban to multi-currency prepaid cards, which typically carry funds in sterling and either euros or dollars.
Mastercard says that if a prepaid card contains the local currency the customer should not be offered the option to pay in sterling – since such people have already decided to pay in the local currency.
Mastercard says that if a prepaid card contains the local currency the customer should not be offered the option to pay in sterling – since such people have already decided to pay in the local currency.
DCC is not allowed only if your prepaid MC contains local currency. To avoid DCC in Mexico, for example, your card must contain MXN. A USD based MC prepaid card is still subject to DCC.
Apr 13, 2019, 12:02 am
#612
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That's a tiny subset of MC prepaid cards. Certainly nothing of this sort is offered in USA. DCC is not allowed only if your prepaid MC contains local currency. To avoid DCC in Mexico, for example, your card must contain MXN. A USD based MC prepaid card is still subject to DCC.
DCC is not allowed only if your prepaid MC contains local currency. To avoid DCC in Mexico, for example, your card must contain MXN. A USD based MC prepaid card is still subject to DCC.
Apr 13, 2019, 3:10 am
#613
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Location: New York, NY, USA
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You still need to carry a card with local currency to avoid DCC though. If you carry a card with GBP and EUR but charge is in CAD, you are still subject to DCC.
Apr 13, 2019, 5:14 am
#614
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 2,016
That's a tiny subset of MC prepaid cards. Certainly nothing of this sort is offered in USA. DCC is not allowed only if your prepaid MC contains local currency. To avoid DCC in Mexico, for example, your card must contain MXN. A USD based MC prepaid card is still subject to DCC.
DCC is not allowed only if your prepaid MC contains local currency. To avoid DCC in Mexico, for example, your card must contain MXN. A USD based MC prepaid card is still subject to DCC. Let's say a prepaid multi-currency card allows you to deposit MXN. Will the terminal know if the MXN balance is zero, and should this matter to the terminal?
Let's say that you don't have any MXN, but you have EUR, GBP, JPY and USD. Which currency should the merchant offer conversion from? All of them?
Apr 24, 2019, 11:28 am
#615
Join Date: Dec 2018
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During two months in Brazil I've seen DCC only in Cielo POS terminals. They provide clear instruction for user and most vendors either asked me or selected BRL without reminder. There is another problem in Brazil, especially outside SP & RJ - at many POS they do not accept credit card (Bilhete Único top-up in São Paulo metro for example) or have surcharge for them (there is no or smaller surcharge for debit cards).