Dual currency with Clarity Card

60camraman60

My teenage daughters were shopping in a store in Dublin that showed items in euros and GBP. Having been trained well they asked if they should make sure they paid the euro price. I said yes, as indicated by Martin. Then I thought hang on they are paying with a Halifax Clarity Card. So what is the answer or doesn't it matter as theu are paying with a card or do we have to sit down and work out the actual exchange rate. Thanks.

PeacefulWaters

Always pay in the local currency.

firefox1956

Even with a Halifax Clarity card pay in the local currency.
Also be careful that the shop / retailer has not already selected GBP before the card machine is passed to your daughter.
They have a nasty habit of doing this........particularly in Spain.
When you have put your card in the machine keep hold of the machine until the transaction has completed.
The shop / retailer will give you a damn funny look but it avoids them making a currency selection for you !!
HTH

Biggles

60camraman60 wrote: »

Then I thought hang on they are paying with a Halifax Clarity Card. So what is the answer or doesn't it matter as they are paying with a card or do we have to sit down and work out the actual exchange rate.

It's because they are using a Clarity card that they should pay in local currency, that's the point. The GBP price may (or may not, you could always work it out) have been loaded during conversion.

If you have a 'normal' card, what you are charged on your credit card bill will be loaded anyway, either by the card if you pay in EUR or by the shop if you pay in GBP. If you pay in EUR the loading will probably be 2.5-3%. If you pay in GBP, who knows?

dj1471

If the prices are listed in both GBP and EUR then simply pay whichever is cheapest, this is most likely (but not definately) the EUR price.

I've previously found GBP prices cheaper in similar circumstances because the shop hadn't updated them following a drop in the exchange rate.

60camraman60

Thanks for the replies. As I thought the answer is not cut and dry. If you knew what exchange rate the shop was working on you could work out which was cheaper but as you don't I think sticking to the general rule of paying local rate is the best bet. We shall see any way as later on I bought some duty free at the airport and noted the two prices but paid in the local currency. Let's see what happens when they do the exchange!

leylandsunaddict

The exchange rate that Clarity have is the Mastercard rate. It's the next best thing to the interbank rate (fractionally lower). You will not get a better rate than that.

zagfles

People seem to be confusing dual labelled prices with DCC. The OP seems to be talking about dual labelled prices ie the price tag has the amount in GBP and EUR.

Some shops eg Disney store IIRC do this - but they do it so they don't need to label the clothes differently in different countries, it doesn't mean you have the option of paying in a foreign currency. When you go to the till they will use the local currency price. Then, however, they might try to apply DCC...

Or it could be that they do accept payment in foreign currency, but this would generally only apply to cash payments. If you pay by card they would normally use local currency price - but again might then apply DCC.

So eg the item could be labelled as 10EUR/9GBP, you go to the till with your credit card, they ask if you want to pay EUR or GBP, you say GBP, and end up getting charged £9.50! Because they put it through at 10EUR and then applied DCC. As the question was "do you want DCC applied to the EUR amount" not "do you want to pay the labelled GBP price".