Non Sterling Transaction Fees Using Apple Pay Abroad

DuoUser

Does Apple Pay default to local currency payment if used abroad does anyone know? If it does then I presume non Sterling transaction fees would be applicable when paying by this method, even if your card allows foreign use without foreign transaction fees. To prevent this charge I would normally select payment is Sterling, rather than local currency, if using my card without Apple Pay.

s_r

Upon payment you usually get presented with options of either paying in local currency (of the country you are in) or your account's base currency (GBP). The choices happen on the card reader/till before you swipe/sign, chip & PIN and/or Apple Pay.

Hence, choosing to pay with Apple Pay has no bearing on how the transaction is treated... it is the same regardless. All Apple Pay does, is it replaces the need for your physical card. Therefore, if you pay in foreign currency; you will incur the same charges levied by your bank (as you would have done, had you used your physical card).

A piece of advice: sometimes it may be better to pay in the local currency (even though your bank will charge you for a non GBP transaction) as the exchange rates applied by retailers are really bad and may even cost you more!