- quote -

It may be worse than you think; many if not most mc/visa cards seem
to have recently added a new 1% currency exchange fee which is
hidden in the exchange rate without explicit charge. I think I saw
the newsitem on yahoo and confirmed it in fine print for my case.

Also even for frequent users of cards overseas, they can shut down
your card after a new use overseas. If you haven't informed them of
your overseas plans, they recently have started to assume overseas
use flags a likely fraud in this brave new world. So the second
time you try to use it on a trip, it may be frozen, regardless
of your successful usage in those countries in past years.

But get some prospective; Thailand is a developing country where
they may have proven and established ways of getting around the
cash discount prohibitions, but on the other hand will probably
give incrediblely better value than you could get elsewhere -
even for flight excursions I have heard.

So either use that 4% card with pleasure or maybe a debit card.
With all the currency charges, I find I only get a clean deal with
a credit union atm card. But I did once give a Thai travel agency
a personal US check for a Burmese sidetrip, which they accepted!

"John A. Weeks III" <john[at]johnweeks.com> wrote in message news:<120120041256383002%john[at]johnweeks.com> ...
- quote -

Talked to my card company and they confirmed that it was counter the
agreement the merchant made with Visa to charge a differential for
those paying by card. They suggested alerting the vendor to this and
if they did not agree then talk to Visa directly. Thanks for the
information.

Mike

"John A. Weeks III" <john[at]johnweeks.com> wrote in message news:<120120041256383002%john[at]johnweeks.com> ...
- quote -

Thanks for the novel viewpoint. I was just looking at how to get
around it. Took your post to make me think that it is something I
perhaps should not have to get around in the first place.

Mike

"Michael Grinnell" <msgrinnell[at]charter.net> wrote in message
news:237a8ae7.0401120909.3a724212[at]posting.google.com...
- quote -

John is right. Banks prohibit merchants for discounting for cash, or
charging more for credit cards.

Many merchants flip the proverbial bird at the bank, too. Large chains can't
do this, but sole proprietors can do anything they want, when it comes to
pricing.

Where do you think those frequent flyer miles come from in the first place?
TANSTAAFL =)

Brent D. Gardner, ChFC
Chartered Financial Consultant
http://members.cox.net/brentdgardner1378/

"Be ever questioning. Ignorance is not bliss. It is oblivion. You don't go
to heaven if you die dumb. Become better informed. Learn from other's
mistakes. You could not live long enough to make them all yourself." - Hyman
George Rickover (1900-86), Admiral, US Navy, advocated development of
nuclear subs & ships

The Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant
(ChFC), designations owned and exclusively offered by The American College,
signify the highest standards of academic study and professional excellence
in the financial services industry.

In article <237a8ae7.0401120909.3a724212[at]posting.google.com> , Michael
Grinnell <msgrinnell[at]charter.net> wrote:

- quote -

Check with the card companies that you deal with, and see what they
think of the 3% surcharge. I believe that most cards prohibit their
merchants from doing this. If this is the case, let the vendor know
that it is not allowed to do this, and see what they come back with.

-john-

--
================================================== ==================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708 john[at]johnweeks.com
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ==================

List,

I apologize if this is the wrong place for this. If there is a better
list please advise.

My wife and I will be in Thailand to visit her parents next month. We
would like to take a trip to Singapore as well and charge it to our
credit card (which gets us frequent flier miles). If we use a credit
card, however, we will be charged 3% more. Cash is really still the
basis of the Thai economy. A cash advance on a card is out of the
question. Any suggestions on how to use the card and not pay the 3%?

Mike