'Using plastic overseas? Always PAY IN EUROS...' blog discussion

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  • Koa
    Koa Posts: 9 Forumite
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    RichardMMM wrote: »
    I booked a Berlin hotel on Booking.com, with immediate payment. I was shown a sum in euros but found after my stay that the hotel had changed the sum to pounds; my card receipt saying I had chosen to pay in GBP. I wasn't even asked. Very underhand - but is it illegal to do this?

    What value did you authorise?

    You should report any unrecognisable transactions to your card provider at the earliest opportunity.

    If a transaction is not even in a currency you authorised, it would be, by definition, unrecognisable.
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,289 Forumite
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    RichardMMM wrote: »
    I booked a Berlin hotel on Booking.com, with immediate payment. I was shown a sum in euros but found after my stay that the hotel had changed the sum to pounds; my card receipt saying I had chosen to pay in GBP. I wasn't even asked. Very underhand - but is it illegal to do this?

    Yes, that practice is illegal under EU law.
  • dgp1000
    dgp1000 Posts: 76 Forumite
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    Why are retailers in Spain able to change the currency from € to £ AFTER you have authorised the payment in € with your PIN on some POS machines. Surely when you have authorised a payment in € it should be made in €. It's bad enough having to check the price and currency when you input your PIN!!!! Who benefits the retailer or the bank - the customer certainly doesn't.
  • orcadian
    orcadian Posts: 40 Forumite
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    I booked Ryanair flights one way back from Malaga to the UK on my Halifax Clarity credit card. Ryanair listed the price in Euros on Ryanair.com. When I was about to pay Ryanair website offered me the choice to pay in Sterling and I unticked that box. But the flights have still been charged to my card in Sterling not Euros. I checked - I've been charged about £26 extra for 3 tickets (for myself and 2 children) compared with the applicable interbank Euro/Sterling rate. Isn't Ryanair breaking EU law, just as it would be illegal in a shop?
  • heygringo
    heygringo Posts: 119 Forumite
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    This is the first time I've seen Martin list Santander's ZERO card for oversea usage. We've used this card for all oversea holidays for years, but because that might only be 3 times a year, we also occasionally use it at home for the odd online purchase in case extended none use, might have Santander stopping the card. We just err on caution as we don't want to lose it.
    When abroad we always pay the bill in local currency. :j
    heygringo.
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