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I was wondering if someone could throw a bit of light on what has started happening in some big stores in Portugal over the last few weeks.
Briefly, when I get to the till the card reader gives me the option of paying in pounds or euros. I always choose euros yet I am now being asked by a employee to sign a till receipt saying that I chose to pay in GBP and agree to the 6% mark up. This just isn’t true. I’ve even purchased small items to check I haven’t made a sausage-finger mistake and I haven’t. It’s now also happening at the automated checkout machines except I don’t sign for it because they’ve automatically changed it to pounds for my convenience!!!
It just seems like sharp practise to me but I hate to pay FX fees anyway.
Which stores/locations? I didn’t see this when we were in Portugal last September.
What kind of card were you using?
Northern Lass, you are quite right it wasn’t happening last September as I was in Porto then. This has happened only since the back end of this March. Shops include Pingo Doce, Burger King, Pizza Hut for example.
Blair Waldorf Salad. The basic American Express Award card – the transparent Amex with the blue square in the middle.
I know Portugal doesn’t have Amex, it was one of the reasons we decided not to move here 🙂
Lol. I’ve made quite a few decisions based on Amex acceptance but emigrating (or not) hasn’t been one of them! Is this still in Porto? Have you been challenging the staff?
I can’t imagine this is legal. I doubt we’ll get there this year, only got 5 days in Vigo in August so probably won’t have time (but will monitor whether it’s happening over the border!). Keep us posted though.
That’s sharp practice – better not be trying that on when I go next month!
Whereabouts in Portugal is this?I asked re card type because as far as I understood it, Amex doesn’t allow retailer DCC. I had thought Amex always requires the retailer to charge in the local currency. I am thus baffled.
I asked re card type because as far as I understood it, Amex doesn’t allow retailer DCC. I had thought Amex always requires the retailer to charge in the local currency. I am thus baffled.
Amex has allowed DCC for a while and via its Payment Gateway services actively markets its benefits to merchants including fee sharing!
If you don’t want to pay FX fees you shouldn’t be using Amex abroad in the first place… (unless there is a cashback offer)
When did Amex start allowing DCC?
EU and UK rules state that it must be clearly displayed at the point of sale. If it wasn’t you should first contact Amex followed by ombudsman if it fails.
I avoid using Amex abroad because of FX. I wonder if Portuguese shops have only recently started accepting it and are trying to mitigate the associated cost to them by extracting more money from customers? I noticed that Portugal features in one of the recent Amex offers, which is very unusual, which is another reason I think this might be the case?
It would be interesting to know if it was happening with other cards.
EU and UK rules state that it must be clearly displayed at the point of sale. If it wasn’t you should first contact Amex followed by ombudsman if it fails.
There is a specific chargeback code (P23) Amex uses to dispute erroneous DCC transactions with a merchant on behalf of a cardholder.
What JDB said.
Report each and every transaction for a chargeback. The DCC scammers may soon find instead of earning 6%+ extra, they end up with nothing!
It would be helpful to know what charges are showing on @Julia’s Amex and whether she’s challenged any of the shops.
Of course Amex FX charges are separate from these and will add around 3% to any purchase!
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