Doesn't matter much since I'm having face palming situations with stupid DCC at every second time I try to use my German MC. The most ridiculous one was when I settled my club hotel bill of 45k INR and it kept converting at 70 INR to the EUR no matter what the cashier did. Even I tried my hand after reading the manual. Its simply impossible. We solved it by using an older backup terminal. Why no consumer agency takes up this matter is beyond me.

You could have tried paying in the original currency (of the country in which card is issued) and let the credit card issuing bank take care of the fx conversion. Or did I not get you correctly?

Well, that is why they want you to use DCC: in my case the charging bank wanted to apply a 75 or 80 INR exchange rate when the real rate was 83. Plus my bank considers even EUR charges to be foreign currency irregardless, so I get charged the 1.25% on top anyway.

Raising a fit usually brings forth a second terminal that charges correctly in INR.

From the info I have, under DCC the merchant has the flexibility to charge higher exchange rates and thats one of the reasons merchants are quiet happy with this option.. most customers are also clueless and happily agree for DCC from my experience though its to their detriment...

Hmm... in a tourist trap in Agra the DCC machine wouldn't work because the conversion rates wouldn't download from the server. The owner was pretty eager to charge it via that machine though, so you may have a point. The 45k charge was at the tolly club though, where they don't try to make money off tourists per se. Interesting though was the Hyatt in Delhi that charged me straght in INR and upon asking they said it was too much fuss and backcharges so they gave back the machine.

I had the same experience, surprisingly at the Hong Kong airport while buying airport express tickets. I was charged INR 7.4/ HKD while the prevailing rate at that time was less than 7..

Errrrr...what's DCC?

ahan thanks. i have always preferred paying in the foreign currency than converting to inr. they are always eager to sell it in inr and i tried figuring out what was more beneficial, but could never do so. thanks.

Anyone knowofof a good site to look for fares from Chicago to Mumbai? I am thinking of leaving in the last week of December and returning by January 15th? Thanks for your help!

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
http://www.skyscanner.com/

and ofcourse a host of others...

Of course check above sites to get an idea.....Chicago has dozens of Indian TAs who discount these fares. Time of year makes a difference !

EKs Clarke had a go at AI at todays CAPA summit:

This one takes the cake...

Indeed, funny but true :p