Spanish Credit Card Scam

GMRhonin

Nationwide Credit Card is supposed to give you spot rate and no commission charge.However an increasing number of outlets are charging 3% and converting to Sterling on your receipt.The receipt says you have been offered a range of currencies and accept this one.BUCKHAM.If you ask for it in Euros only thet cannot do it.I think the shop is making the 3% charge and it is on BBV bank chits.Nationwide are not interested. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

grumbler

credit card exchange rate in Spain - fresh thread

hidden credit card commission in spain - more old one with lot of links inside ...

Galstonian

GMRhonin wrote:

If you ask for it in Euros only thet cannot do it.

They can but to be fair I think the banks are setting it up so that there is no prompting which leaves many retailers under the impression they can't.

GMRhonin wrote:

Nationwide are not interested.

Oh but they are, they have warned about this scam on their website and on statements.

I don't know how far you'll get but why don't you write to Nationwide and explain (calmly) what happened and ask them to pursue the matter on your behalf? They have many customers who use them because they do travel frequently and make many purchases in foreign currencies, if they want to maintain that it is in their interest to try and reduce this scam. They can trace which bank handled the transaction and, I would hope, be able to pursue them either directly or through Visa. If you made other purchases around the same time and they went through in Euros you will get a good idea of what your loss is and you can ask for them to make it good too.

Best of luck

asandwhen

I am about to go to the states - do you know if they do this there? - I am taking my nationwide credit and debit card.

gizmoleeds

asandwhen wrote:

I am about to go to the states - do you know if they do this there? - I am taking my nationwide credit and debit card.

Probably not as the Spanish will get a lot more foregin transactions (being a trouist destination in the EU) than the USA will - Americans probably won't have thought of it in their interests.

pin

asandwhen wrote:

I am about to go to the states - do you know if they do this there? - I am taking my nationwide credit and debit card.

Never had a problem with DCC in the States.

Galstonian

asandwhen wrote:

I am about to go to the states - do you know if they do this there? - I am taking my nationwide credit and debit card.

If they did this would imply that they not only knew about but understood currencies other than the US$; not very common in my experience of the States

MOCHA

This happened to me at El corte Ingles in Madrid in early October, the converted rate was competitive to the rate at which I'd bought currency but the whole practice surprised and annoyed me.