I really don't know if there are laws (or really contracts with a credit card, I suppose) about you having to be offered the local currency, I've only read that on Fodors that they are. It sounds likely. I can see some small businesses trying to pull this scam by not offering you the choice, but I am surprised a large company like Ryanair is doing it because if it violates contracts, that would be very obvious and someone should sue or get a class action suit (assuming they have such possibilities in Ireland).

Someone above said Amex charged more than Visa/MC abroad and they do not, in fact their foreign exchange rate is lower than many (if that is what is meant by that, they may charge merchants more, I have no idea). Their foreign exchange rate is only 2.7 pct, I know it is in writing in their terms, it is lower than 3 pct. At least it is on the one I have which is a Delta Skymiles Amex card, and you can even see that on their website (if you look at the terms and disclosures).

Meson de la Orza in Toledo, Spain... and they wouldn't reverse it.

Boat cruise ticket on Lake Lugano. Lady didn't ask us and as the boat was leaving and we were the last ones to board, I didn't get a chance to look over the receipt before I signed.

Restaurant in Grandia...can't remember if they asked, but I definitely informed them that we prefer to pay in €uros.

Hr

ky notes,

>they still are required to ask, they just don't. Then they pretend they can't cancel the charge or suddenly don't speak English.<

In my case, the waiter skipped the part where he is supposed to ask how I would like to be billed.

When I told him "no dollars, euros", he insisted that I was being billed in euros. The dollar amount was for my information only.

I insisted.

We went to see the manager, who showed me sales slips from about a dozen other folks he had ripped off.

When I pulled out my camera, the sales slips disappeared. :)

I wrote "paid under protest" on the slip.

I have informed my CC company that I will contest the charge.

((I))

Hi Chri,

>it isn't too different from charging a different amount for cash and CCs, which lots of gas stations do where I live in the US. <

The rules in the US forbid charging extra for using a cc. Officially, the service station is giving a discount for cash.

In the case of DCC, the merchant is required to ask if the customer wishes to be billed in local currency or in their home currency.

If the customer chooses the latter, the printout explains that they are being billed an additional amount for the conversion.

It should also be noted that some cc's still add the 3% "foreign conversion fee" on top of the additional fee for DCC.

((I))

Hi xyz,

>I don't think (but Ira will have to speak for himself) that the restaurant has a policy of adding 7% to charges if done in a dcc transaction; rather he was probably referring to the spread between the exchange rate the cc company would use against what the dcc merchant is charging.<

You are correct.

The bank exchange rate was $1.30/E. The bill conversion was $1.40/E.

((I))