fifty_two

thats usually the case with 3rd party ATM operators

Ohh , its euronet .... fun fact , they own XE.com and RiA

2 things i like with them
.

1. they usually accept amex
2. they signed contracts with smaller banks who dont want to invest in offices + atm , so the customers of these banks can withdraw from euronet's ATM for free

.Besides that , if i see yellow/blue colors it help me recognize them from far away , so i can avoid them and not get scammed

In some cases in DR , you have shops where the DCC is enabled by default on the terminals , and judging by the face cashiers/bartenders do when i ask them to pay without dcc , you can be sure that consumer rights is the least of their concerns

I would simply recommend anyone to arrive in DR with cash (USD or EUR) and change it in town or withdraw big amount of DOP in one time , cause many places dont accept cards and some when they do accept card

miklcct

This shop advertise DCC at its door

I used Google Pay to pay the bill and the terminal offered DCC which I immediately refused it.

EmailKid

For those not familiar with Polish, loosely translated (I believe) sign says here you pay with mobile and telephone.

DCC is pretty obvious

MaxVO

No need for snark. The OP probably meant the other text on the door "Pay in your currency".

pgary

How did you refuse it, demanding local currency instead?

EmailKid

Snark not intended.

Sorry you were offended.

Suspect most would not recognize Polish letters when they see them

dmapr

You mean of course here you pay with card and telephone, right? Yes, sadly from what I've seen on this forum Poland is one of those places where DCC is rampant. I've only been there as a transit stop so never had a chance to experience it myself, but it's definitely telling that the Złoty symbol isn't even pictured, as if it weren't an option

EmailKid

Bolding mine.

Yes, of course ......

I was in Poland several years ago, and don't recall running into DCC. Then again, I used points for the hotel (the good old days of 5K stays at IHG properties, RIP).

IIRC primarily paid cash for food except at supermarkets. And public transport accepted CCs at machine at bus / tram stop

Majuki

Poland has been among the worst offenders for DCC for the past 4 or 5 years based on the reports here. There's certainly a self-selection process on FlyerTalk, but the country comes up frequently.

For instance, I just got back from 5 weeks in Australia. While DCC is definitely present in Australia these days, I never saw it by tapping my payments 100% of the time. I either used points or paid with Amex for hotels, so I didn't see DCC there either.

lsquare

So tapping is the safest way to avoid DCC in Australia? I'll be heading back to Sydney later this year and I want to use cards as much as I can. AMEX seems pretty useless outside of hotels, but no DCC at all with them?

Majuki

Correct. Only Visa and MC are subject to DCC with MC being slightly more favorable to the consumer by having a buyer's remorse provision for DCC. By tapping my card I didn't see DCC, but I know for a fact it's been prevalent since around 2016. My first time seeing it was at a cafe in Brisbane 8 years ago (and I reported on it here in the previous thread). I've done trial transactions on previous trips where I try the same card on the same terminal via chip-and-signature, contactless with the card (no signature), and contactless via mobile device (Google pay, no signature). The DCC prompt would only appear when doing the chip-and-signature transaction, but it was easy to opt out if you were aware of what was happening. There should not be a situation in Australia where you do not control the terminal, so you can manage the DCC prompts.

The only thing unfortunately that's nearly ubiquitous these days is the 1-1.5% credit card surcharge. I justify it by using a card with no foreign transaction fee and 1.5-4.5x rewards (on a Chase Sapphire Reserve with a 50% bonus on redemptions) for the categories of my spend, so it's a breakeven in the worst case. Even at 1x, you're probably still breaking even with respect to exchange rate fluctuations.

lsquare

I agree and I used my CC as much as I could despite the surcharge. I even got A$50 from the ATM and never had to use it as Sydney can be mostly cashless. I hate the surcharge, but if I do break even then it's still better than having cash. The only disappointing thing is that AMEX has a very low acceptance rate. It's mostly Visa and MC.

restrictonthehanger

Last month I went back to Canada for the first time in 3 years. Stopped in a Canadian TD bank near the US border and was surprised the ATM offered DCC. Very easy to decline of course. Didn't encounter DCC anywhere else on the trip , but there were plenty of signs in Niagara Falls ON stating that US$ was accepted (at a worse rate of course)

Majuki

Depending on the merchant and exchange rate it hasn't always a bad deal historically (but typically was). For instance, I'd always do a quick calculation for the Blue Water Bridge toll to see if it made more sense to pay in CAD or USD. It probably evened out in the long term, but the occasional arbitrage was fun.

Now with 0% FTF credit and debit cards, it's always in your interest to use local currency, either cash or card, outside of the corner cases of abrupt changes in the exchange rate.

MaxVO

Last time I visited Montreal before covid, shops there accepted USD at a better rate than the market. in any case, it's not DCC when the whole transaction is negotiable.