r/personalfinance· wanderlust_on_layaway@wanderlust_on_layaway

The card machine abroad offered to charge me in Canadian dollars. Saying yes was the expensive option.

Budget traveller confession, because apparently even I can still get got. On my last trip, tired at the end of a long day, the card terminal at a restaurant asked if I wanted to pay in Canadian dollars instead of the local currency. That sounded helpful. Familiar number, no mental math. When I did my usual post-trip statement review, the charges where I'd said yes came out noticeably worse than the ones where I'd paid in local currency, same card, same week. It has a name, dynamic currency conversion, and the exchange rate the merchant's side picks is usually worse than the one your own card would use. Over the whole trip it added up to more than a museum ticket. New rule: when the machine asks, pay in the local currency and let my card handle the conversion. The helpful-sounding button is the one that costs you.