Losing money on cancelled hotel mistake rates (prepaid in foreign currency)
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: U.S. (sometimes)
Programs: UA 1k 1MM, AA Exec Plat, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, IHG Plat, Accor ?????
Posts: 1,398
Losing money on cancelled hotel mistake rates (prepaid in foreign currency)
Has anyone else been losing slivers of money when foreign hotels cancel your mistake rate (or non-mistake rate)? It's happened to me a few times.
As an example, I lost $3 from the Le Meridien Picadilly cancellation (about 2.3%). I do realize that $3 isn't much, but if you made enough of these bookings (or more expensive ones, or for 30 nights) it could add up. And it's certainly annoying.
I'm not sure why I lost money after the refunds. It's obviously something to do with different underlying exchange rates going in and out of the currency. But when I check on the visa exchange rate website, http://usa.visa.com/personal/card-be...calculator.jsp, it looks like I should have lost only about .6% by converting into and out of a currency. In my case, the currency also moved slightly against me, accounting for another .5%. Then I lost another mysterious 1.2% on top of that.
Another way of saying the same thing: For the original purchase, the exchange rate stated on my CC statement perfectly matches the visa exchange rate website. But for the refund, the exchange rate for the refund does not match (about 1.3% off, working against me).
One theory is that the hotel used dynamic currency conversion to refund the amount. I don't know how to tell whether that happened. Another theory is that refunds have their own special (unfavorable) exchange rate that doesn't match the exchange rate (or reverse exchange rate) on the website. Or, Visa (in this case) charges a conversion fee on refunds of about 1.3%.
So I'm curious whether anyone has had this same problem or whether I just got unlucky. Maybe it depends on the CC or whether it's VISA/MC/AMEX, etc.. And is there any solution?
Notes: I'm not poo-pooing mistake rates. It might still be worth taking a shot at mistakes, so long as there's the potential to save $$$ on the reservation and there's a 10% or so chance of it being honored. (e.g., 90% chance you lose $3, 10% chance you save $60; you still come out ahead in the long run) My long-term success with these rates is about 25%. And, of course, the problem doesn't apply to charges in USD or where you don't pay up front or when they cancel the reservation before the transaction clears. Also, the hotel sometimes offers some extra compensation (points or a discounted rate).
As an example, I lost $3 from the Le Meridien Picadilly cancellation (about 2.3%). I do realize that $3 isn't much, but if you made enough of these bookings (or more expensive ones, or for 30 nights) it could add up. And it's certainly annoying.
I'm not sure why I lost money after the refunds. It's obviously something to do with different underlying exchange rates going in and out of the currency. But when I check on the visa exchange rate website, http://usa.visa.com/personal/card-be...calculator.jsp, it looks like I should have lost only about .6% by converting into and out of a currency. In my case, the currency also moved slightly against me, accounting for another .5%. Then I lost another mysterious 1.2% on top of that.
Another way of saying the same thing: For the original purchase, the exchange rate stated on my CC statement perfectly matches the visa exchange rate website. But for the refund, the exchange rate for the refund does not match (about 1.3% off, working against me).
One theory is that the hotel used dynamic currency conversion to refund the amount. I don't know how to tell whether that happened. Another theory is that refunds have their own special (unfavorable) exchange rate that doesn't match the exchange rate (or reverse exchange rate) on the website. Or, Visa (in this case) charges a conversion fee on refunds of about 1.3%.
So I'm curious whether anyone has had this same problem or whether I just got unlucky. Maybe it depends on the CC or whether it's VISA/MC/AMEX, etc.. And is there any solution?
Notes: I'm not poo-pooing mistake rates. It might still be worth taking a shot at mistakes, so long as there's the potential to save $$$ on the reservation and there's a 10% or so chance of it being honored. (e.g., 90% chance you lose $3, 10% chance you save $60; you still come out ahead in the long run) My long-term success with these rates is about 25%. And, of course, the problem doesn't apply to charges in USD or where you don't pay up front or when they cancel the reservation before the transaction clears. Also, the hotel sometimes offers some extra compensation (points or a discounted rate).
#2
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: SAS *G
Posts: 458
Losing money on cancelled hotel mistake rates (prepaid in foreign currency)
I always experience this F/X loss on all my cards if I buy something in a foreign currency which is then refunded.
I always figured it was due to different buy/sell rates for foreign currency.
I always figured it was due to different buy/sell rates for foreign currency.
#3
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
All of mine, including hotels I have booked in a different currency, then cancelled, have been less than $1 in difference. For that reason, I have not even given it a second thought. I write it off as a cost of doing this kind of bargain hunting.
#4
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DCA
Programs: UA 1K; *G and *A Top 1000; HHonors Diamond; *$ Gold; Global Entry
Posts: 2,273
Losing money on cancelled hotel mistake rates (prepaid in foreign currency)
If the dollar becomes stronger against the foreign currency between the time the purchase is made and when it is refunded, couldn't someone come out ahead?
#6
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 2,400
#9
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: UA/AA
Posts: 1,741
Exactly. I once incurred a hotel charge of 10,000 Euros instead of Hungarian forints. The dollar rose while we were sorting the problem out, and I made nearly $300 on the transaction.
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: U.S. (sometimes)
Programs: UA 1k 1MM, AA Exec Plat, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, IHG Plat, Accor ?????
Posts: 1,398
It sounds like the consensus is that it's not even a risk. If the currency happens to move in the right direction, you can make a profit. If you lose money, you can complain and get the lost money back (but maybe not with Capital One). You just lose the few minutes it takes to write the email or phone in.
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: somewhere north of London, UK
Programs: HH Gold, BA Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 15,245
I was under the impression that merchants can do one of two things.
They can either refund the amount of money, or cancel the initial transaction. If they do 1) then you get hit for any currency fees twice, but if they do 2) you get a refund for the exact amount the first line hit you with.
Problem is, 1 seems very easy to do whereas 2 is a but more complex so the easy way wins out.
They can either refund the amount of money, or cancel the initial transaction. If they do 1) then you get hit for any currency fees twice, but if they do 2) you get a refund for the exact amount the first line hit you with.
Problem is, 1 seems very easy to do whereas 2 is a but more complex so the easy way wins out.
#14
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: BRU
Posts: 170
I was under the impression that merchants can do one of two things.
They can either refund the amount of money, or cancel the initial transaction. If they do 1) then you get hit for any currency fees twice, but if they do 2) you get a refund for the exact amount the first line hit you with.
Problem is, 1 seems very easy to do whereas 2 is a but more complex so the easy way wins out.
They can either refund the amount of money, or cancel the initial transaction. If they do 1) then you get hit for any currency fees twice, but if they do 2) you get a refund for the exact amount the first line hit you with.
Problem is, 1 seems very easy to do whereas 2 is a but more complex so the easy way wins out.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,427
Yeah, it could work both ways depending on currency fluxuations. But I believe there's at least one bank (US Bank) that charges foreign transaction fees for purchases, but doesn't refund them on refunds. Of course, it's always better not to use such cards overseas.