RCI dollar billing on UK credit card

[clivep]

All card providers use similar wholesale exchange rates and then incorporate a commission % within the rate used when a conversion is done on your account. The lower the commission the less you pay for a given transaction amount. In the UK the maximum they are allowed to charge is 2.75% and most do charge this amount. The SetSail pass states that if you let RCCL do the conversion they will charge a 3% fee. So anyone with a UK card would do better to opt out by selecting option B. Nationwide are excellent in not taking ANY commission at all and convert at the wholesale rate. I do not know what fee % your card issuer charges. If it is less than 3% then choosing option B will save you money.

[clivep]

I have never had any other company outside Canada use their own exchange rates.

 

This is becoming more common in Europe. My wife had a cafe in Venice convert to GB £ and a neighbour's withdrawal from a cash machine in Spain was converted to GB £ before it hit his card issuer.

[Azhure]

This is becoming more common in Europe. My wife had a cafe in Venice convert to GB £ and a neighbour's withdrawal from a cash machine in Spain was converted to GB £ before it hit his card issuer.

 

I don't like that practice. Maybe I am showing my ignorance of the subject here, but how do they know? Do the credit cards give away your country of residence?

[clivep]

They certainly know the country that the card is registered to as the receipt shows that you have "elected" to have them do the conversion and prints the transaction amount in the currency of the card's origin. By law they must give the customer the option of opting in or out of their conversion. However, in practice you would normally miss this option unless you knew to expect it. My wife and neighbour were unaware of any such option being presented.

[si2001]

I played safe on our last cruise, paid my account in cash. I had about $1500 with me which was more than enough.

During the cruise they asked us several times if we would register a card with them, I just refused.