Jetstar currency converstion beware

[MEL_Traveller]

I see so, like the OP was "offered"

Yes. Normally prices come up as ‘do you want to pay in Australian dollars?’ and gives the amount. Or you can decline, and continue to pay in the local currency.

Where dynamic conversion is really bad is with places like restaurants where the staff member may select the Aussie dollar amount without telling you!

 

[bernardblack]

Yes. Normally prices come up as ‘do you want to pay in Australian dollars?’ and gives the amount. Or you can decline, and continue to pay in the local currency.

Where dynamic conversion is really bad is with places like restaurants where the staff member may select the Aussie dollar amount without telling you!

Yes, except even when you're officially given the option it's often phrased really unclearly to obfuscate your choice, because the merchant and their bank between them significantly profit from DCC. In principle, Visa and MasterCard require that it be optional, but the enforcement is toothless.

I once arrived with my family after a long multisector journey to Europe, and Europcar in Dublin preselected DCC and the staff member refused to understand that I demanded to be charged in EUR not AUD. (In her defence, she may just have honestly been stupid.) I went to Visa to object to the DCC against my will, and they wouldn't do anything without my bank intermediating. And the bank in question (Citi) were less than useless.

Another mark in favour of Amex is that they recognise that DCC in unequivocally a rort, and they do not permit it through their network.

 

[dajop]

Happened once to me in India that I had preselected to be charged in local currency and signed a slip to that effect. But hotel still charged in my cards currency.

I disputed with the card issuer and on a $1000 or so bill the saving by being charged in local currency was about $110 or so. It was a corporate card, so it didn’t matter to me personally, but still it’s the damn principle of money being creamed off the top deceptively, tantamount to theft in my books.

 

[CorporateFlyerMEL]

use a overseas friendly card - such as 28Degrees or HSBC - you will get pretty close to the bank exchange rate on the day for all FX transactions. Using your 'normal' visa or mastercard will provide a poor FX rate plus additional charges

 

[AustSerbKor]

Thanks for posting this. My complaint is JetStar isn't transparent as to which country is the processor or the DCC fees at least not on the Korean website.
I was looking at a one way flight from Seoul to Brisbane and JetStar didn't provide the usual Korean payment gateway, so I assumed it was being processed in Australia. Unsure if I should pay with my Korean card in KRW or an Australian card in AUD, I ended up booking another airline. To be fair this provided an excuse I was looking for not to fly JetStar.

 

[TheInsider]

Thanks for posting this. My complaint is JetStar isn't transparent as to which country is the processor or the DCC fees at least not on the Korean website.
I was looking at a one way flight from Seoul to Brisbane and JetStar didn't provide the usual Korean payment gateway, so I assumed it was being processed in Australia. Unsure if I should pay with my Korean card in KRW or an Australian card in AUD, I ended up booking another airline. To be fair this provided an excuse I was looking for not to fly JetStar.

What do you mean the 'usual Korean payment gateway'?

It shows the price in Korean currency. So it would be charged in Korean Won.

 

[yachty]

I don't understand this either. A booking from ICN will price in KRW by default... if you change the currency it tells you the AUD amount, the exchange rate, and is clear that there's a commission. The payment gateway isn't relevant. The currency it displays/you choose is the currency they will charge you in, like most other websites (Amazon handles it exactly the same way, for example).

 

[oz_mark]

Another mark in favour of Amex is that they recognise that DCC in unequivocally a rort, and they do not permit it through their network.

Well, Visa tried to stop DCC, but got fined $18 million for their troubles.

Visa ordered to pay $18 million penalty for anti-competitive conduct following ACCC action

The Federal Court has ordered Visa Worldwide Pte Ltd (Visa Worldwide) to pay a pecuniary penalty of $18 million for engaging in anti-competitive conduct, in proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

www.accc.gov.au

 

[bernardblack]

Yes, and that's one of many cases where the ACCC has affirmatively made things worse.

 

[AIRwin]

Even Emirates:

 

[bernardblack]

Even Emirates:
View attachment 384988

LMAO! They converted the miles to AUD as though they were NZD.

 

[CaptJCool]

DCC was fine for a time because the CC didn’t then Charge you the 3% foreign exchange fee
After my 2015? European conference trip Citi for example then announced that even if you did DCC they would still charge the 3% foreign exchange fee because the merchants location was obviously in Europe

Given the arrangements, you’re better served paying in the LOCAL currency and accepting your CC cards exchange rate and the 3% (wealth taxes anyone?)
Or get yourself a Latitude 28 card where this is 0%

Having had recent experience of various Reward flights originating in Spain, Greece, Italy and Germany (and involving travel to/from Jordan, Egypt and Morocco, France & Spain) and a number of refunds, theyre not all charged in LOCAL currency because of the limitations of the QF mobile / desktop websites & how they service different countries - and

Exchange rate movements can work in your favour too where refunds are made at a later date)

 

[Rayesfeg]

Had a play around on the Jetstar website and confirm the same thing OP, this means that for a return trip overseas, it would be cheaper to book 2 x 1-way tickets as a return itinerary will have the return flight converted to AUD at the Jetstar currency conversion rate.

i.e. Traveling to Korea: Purchase the Sydney to Seoul and then the return Seoul to Sydney separately as it works our cheaper than buying the exact same itinerary as a return trip.

 

[AIRwin]

Had a play around on the Jetstar website and confirm the same thing OP, this means that for a return trip overseas, it would be cheaper to book 2 x 1-way tickets as a return itinerary will have the return flight converted to AUD at the Jetstar currency conversion rate.

i.e. Traveling to Korea: Purchase the Sydney to Seoul and then the return Seoul to Sydney separately as it works our cheaper than buying the exact same itinerary as a return trip.

Unless there's a return for free deal?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Had a play around on the Jetstar website and confirm the same thing OP, this means that for a return trip overseas, it would be cheaper to book 2 x 1-way tickets as a return itinerary will have the return flight converted to AUD at the Jetstar currency conversion rate.

i.e. Traveling to Korea: Purchase the Sydney to Seoul and then the return Seoul to Sydney separately as it works our cheaper than buying the exact same itinerary as a return trip.

Not sure on this. Pricing return deals is different to purchasing a one way ex a foreign country, and having the price dynamically converted.

Looking at MEL-BKK for example, 3-10 August. Pricing the return is 264 and 257 respectively. Buying the one way ex BKK, in thai bath only is $271. if you then wanted to pay for that one way in AUD instead of THB, it would be more expensive still.