Comments on: Credit card charges gone wild: “international transaction fee” added to Puerto Rico purchase

By: Lord Soth

Lord Soth — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:27:07 +0000

There is an interchange fee of 0.7 ot 1.0% charge by MC, Visa international on same currency foriegn transaction fees, to the credit card companies.

But as a merchant we are charged this fee, when this situtation occurs, and it is added as surcharge to our discount rate we pay on all credit card transactions.

Now the banks are charging the customer, up to three times the real fee, which the merchant that excepts your credit card has already paid.

What add injury, is some banks are listing the extra charge under the our company name on the credit card statement, so the customer calls thinking we ripped them off instead of the bank.

As a Canadian, we hate our banks, but they are angels compared to what the US banks try to do.

If the US banks would stop lending money to people with bad credit, maybe they wouldn’t need to recoup there losses from responsible consumers.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:34:07 +0000

If you have recently purchased airline tickets for an international flight with your credit card, you may have been charged a “foreign transaction fee.” Contact Jerome Noll via email at jnoll@mdpcelaw.com or Melissa Wu via telephone at (914) 517-5076 for free legal assistance in recouping your losses.

By: international credit card

international credit card — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:44:22 +0000

What a nice post this has been……..great post………
I like this post …….I have a Citibank Mastercard and just came back from a journey to Puerto Rico. Before I left mainland US, I called Citi to see if there would be a distant transaction fee if I second-hand my credit card in Puerto Rico, and they said yes there positively would be………
Thanks…….

By: marlene omara

marlene omara — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:07:29 +0000

how can banks charge u international fees if u only use your card in the usa?

By: mar omaralene

mar omaralene — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:06:08 +0000

i just noticed bank of america is charging me international fees i live in tn and only u my card in tn how can they do this>

By: chi

chi — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:55:14 +0000

I have a Citibank Mastercard and just came back from a trip to Puerto Rico. Before I left mainland US, I called Citi to see if there would be a foreign transaction fee if I used my credit card in Puerto Rico, and they said yes there certainly would be. So I went to Puerto Rico fully expecting to get hit with a 3% fee everytime I used my card (but how can you not use your card when paying $500 hotel bills…who carries around that much cash?).

However, I just got my Citi statement, and there are no foreign transaction fees. Maybe Citi has changed their policy after retaking Geography 101.

By: BCweb

BCweb — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:33:41 +0000

I spent over a 1/2 hour on the phone w/ the BARCLAY VISA card people.
They charged me $27.62 in a FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE for a business order I placed with a company who operates out of Canada and the USA. B/c the billing states “Vancouver BC”, I was told I cannot have the fee removed, waived, reduced. I am furious. They don’t care if I stop using the card all together. I repeated “I need this fee waived”. I had no idea I would be charged such a ridiculous greedy fee on this purchase. The gave me the whole “Credit Card Agreement” song and dance. This is wrong. The company I did business with is trying to help me, but even so. One of us will eat the 27.62 because BARCLAY Cards VISA with Itunes rewards refuses to budge on giving me a one time break on this fee. One nation under corporation. (Unless it’s Vancouver BC, then it’s Foreign)

By: bo

bo — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:06:17 +0000

I have been charged a 3% foreign transaction fee for a airline ticket that I bought here in the USA. I have called the airline, British Airways, who does not understand why this should be a foreign transaction as it was purchased via their US site in USD etc. Bank of America claims that it was processed outside of the USA which British Airway denies. I should also state that I do live in Texas and that this was a US issued card to my home address in Texas.

It seems that this is a consumer trap where you could be using your card domestically only to be charged a 3% foreign transaction charges cause it was processed abroad?? How would a consumer know of such charges prior to making the transaction??

This was a business class ticket to London costing some 8000USD so the 3% charge is 240USD.

Incidentally I used the card for other transactions whilst in London and I am NOT disputing those charges as they are foreign and I was aware of the foreign transaction fees for that kind of card usage.

A frustrated traveler and former Bank of America card holder

By: Faith

Faith — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 05:42:56 +0000

I too was charged a 3% “foreign purchase transaction fee” for using my Mastercard in Panama when there is no currency conversion. I’m sure there was no such fee (and I used Mastercard then too) when I was there in 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2005. I think this is fraudulent when Panama uses the US dollar as their currency.

By: Tarjetas de Crédito Cobrando Cargos Internacionales en Puerto Rico | Enterate de Esto

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:36:11 +0000

[...] Via: Elliot.org [...]

By: Alan W

Alan W — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:05:19 +0000

Are there any lawyers out there who would like to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of all credit card holders who have been charged a currency conversion fee for territies that use the U.S.dollar?

It seems to me that this would even constitute fraud since the credit card companies are misrepresenting the transactions and are charging for a service that is not rendered and does not exist.

By: Nicola

Nicola — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:02:45 +0000

I stumbled upon this thread while trying to find out if my credit cards are going to charge me the ubiquitous “international transaction fee” when I travel to Guam next month. I still don’t have a definite answer, nor would I trust the credit card rep over the phone (they’re great at take backs!), so I’ll stick to my usual Charles Schwab Visa that I use for travel. We use this when we’re in Europe to visit my husband’s family because not only is there no foreign currency fee, but they actually give you going rate of exchange for the day, rather than the banker’s rate of exchange that you’ll get with Capitol One.

My foreign transaction fee story was in purchasing a cellular phone from a company in New York. Which shipped to me from New York. But apparently the company’s “headquarter” are in London. And so although I paid for the phone in US dollars from a company in New York which shipped me said phone from New York — I paid a 3% “foreign currency transaction fee”. The credit card company refused to refund it, citing the fact that the company’s headquarters are in fact in London. Bollocks!

By: Randy B

Randy B — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:11:53 +0000

Like a good neighbor?! Doesn’t look like it.

By: Diana G.

Diana G. — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:34:54 +0000

Puerto Rico is still considered a Latin America country as it pertains to currency conversion–thus the fee is charged
The statement is FALSE, it does not pertain any currency conversion; thus her assumption is WRONG.

By: SLEZE

SLEZE — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:05:14 +0000

“Puerto Rico is still considered a Latin America country as it pertains to currency conversion–thus the fee is charged.”

Considered by whom? Not any government entity.
Currency conversion? I am pretty sure that during her trip the conversion rate was 1USD = 1USD. Although these rates change from day to day.