Best card for foreign exchange?
Apr 16, 2005 | 3:54 pm
#136
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 112
Originally Posted by Dovster
What I find interesting is that none of my American credit cards show the amount of the purchase in the original currency.
This is not true on my German MasterCharge or my Israeli Visa. They always show the original amount and the conversion rate.
This is not true on my German MasterCharge or my Israeli Visa. They always show the original amount and the conversion rate.
Apr 16, 2005 | 3:56 pm
#137
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Originally Posted by marivk
Doesn't MBNA?
Apr 16, 2005 | 4:14 pm
#138
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Originally Posted by allen074
gargoyle - they pad -- yes they do - i can post my last hotel charge that i booked from the us... let me know and i will get the details
Amex charged exactly 2% above the rate shown, Capital One came through within pennies of the exact rate- so neither padded the rate, but Amex bit 2% off of me. Next trip I'll just use Visa.
Apr 16, 2005 | 4:17 pm
#139
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Originally Posted by Dovster
What I find interesting is that none of my American credit cards show the amount of the purchase in the original currency.
This is not true on my German MasterCharge or my Israeli Visa. They always show the original amount and the conversion rate.
This is not true on my German MasterCharge or my Israeli Visa. They always show the original amount and the conversion rate.
I'm pleased how the world has improved, as Dovster ably demonstrates: The German MasterRace respects his Israeli Visa. Now if only some other countries will learn from history, all of our exchange rates will improve dramatically.
Apr 16, 2005 | 7:10 pm
#140
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Originally Posted by Dovster
What I find interesting is that none of my American credit cards show the amount of the purchase in the original currency.
Apr 16, 2005 | 10:10 pm
#141
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Originally Posted by littleleaguemom
My Amex, DC and MBNA Visa show the foreign currency amount underneath the vendor. However, this detail is only available once the paper statement is generated. Until then, I can only see the dollar amount charged when I check online.
Apr 16, 2005 | 10:24 pm
#142
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Originally Posted by Dovster
That may be my problem then -- I don't get paper statements.
DC website is rather primitive and I mainly use this card for car rentals but I just checked some old online statements and they show the foreign currency amount also.
Apr 17, 2005 | 5:48 pm
#143
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 69
greedy Bank of China and Shanghai Joint merchant bank
Originally Posted by Gargoyle
I just checked my Capital One Visa and Amex charges from Mid march, and compared them to the exchange rates for those days on http://www.xe.com/ict/
Amex charged exactly 2% above the rate shown, Capital One came through within pennies of the exact rate- so neither padded the rate, but Amex bit 2% off of me. Next trip I'll just use Visa.
Amex charged exactly 2% above the rate shown, Capital One came through within pennies of the exact rate- so neither padded the rate, but Amex bit 2% off of me. Next trip I'll just use Visa.
Apr 18, 2005 | 8:40 am
#144
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Originally Posted by littleleaguemom
My Amex, DC and MBNA Visa show the foreign currency amount underneath the vendor. However, this detail is only available once the paper statement is generated. Until then, I can only see the dollar amount charged when I check online.
Apr 18, 2005 | 9:18 am
#145
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Originally Posted by stimpy
My Amex Centurion account started showing the foreign amount online a few months back. But I think my Starwood Amex doesn't yet have this feature.
Apr 18, 2005 | 9:59 am
#146
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 905
i use the amtrak mbna card when im travelling abroad. i read in that other post that mbna started to do 3 % rather than the previous visa 1%. i dont think this is true, i was in israel in mar and just calculated my charges using xe.com and then adding one percent and all the charges on my bill were correct (or slightly less than the converted amt+1%)!
so for now im stickin with the mbna card...
so for now im stickin with the mbna card...
Apr 18, 2005 | 11:10 am
#147
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,688
Originally Posted by rgm18
i use the amtrak mbna card when im travelling abroad. i read in that other post that mbna started to do 3 % rather than the previous visa 1%. i dont think this is true, i was in israel in mar and just calculated my charges using xe.com and then adding one percent and all the charges on my bill were correct (or slightly less than the converted amt+1%)!
so for now im stickin with the mbna card...
so for now im stickin with the mbna card...
- Not all MBNA cards are going to 3%
- Those that are changing to 3% aren't doing so until the end of May
Apr 18, 2005 | 7:37 pm
#148
Join Date: Nov 2002
Programs: MTD pass holder
Posts: 1,144
I have an upcoming three week trip to Europe and would like to avoid the 3% fee without applying for yet another card. I just left a Wells Fargo branch where I inquired about using their Debit card for purchases and cash withdrawals in Europe. I spoke to three different people and got three different answers. The bottom line seems to be that the 3% fee applies to their Debit cards as well as their Credit cards and there is a $5.00 fee for ATM cash withdrawals. All three said the 3% fee was a Visa fee and not a Wells Fargo fee. Be careful what you believe.
Apr 18, 2005 | 9:26 pm
#149
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,688
Originally Posted by ned
I have an upcoming three week trip to Europe and would like to avoid the 3% fee without applying for yet another card. I just left a Wells Fargo branch where I inquired about using their Debit card for purchases and cash withdrawals in Europe. I spoke to three different people and got three different answers. The bottom line seems to be that the 3% fee applies to their Debit cards as well as their Credit cards and there is a $5.00 fee for ATM cash withdrawals. All three said the 3% fee was a Visa fee and not a Wells Fargo fee. Be careful what you believe.
Apr 20, 2005 | 3:01 pm
#150
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Posts: 1,949
So the new MC/VISA rules for Debit and Credit cards seem to be :
MC : Effective Oct 1, 2005 if cardholder and merchant are in different countries, charge the issuer 0.8% of the transaction amount. AND if charge requires currency conversion, charge the issuer another 0.2%
VISA : Effective April 1, 2005 if charge is made outside cardholder's country, charge the issuer 1%
MC : Effective Oct 1, 2005 if cardholder and merchant are in different countries, charge the issuer 0.8% of the transaction amount. AND if charge requires currency conversion, charge the issuer another 0.2%
VISA : Effective April 1, 2005 if charge is made outside cardholder's country, charge the issuer 1%
Last edited by Alcibiades; Apr 20, 2005 at 3:28 pm