How do I choose when an overseas terminal offers my card's home currency?
MoneyBefore a trip, my partner and I practised a checkout choice using a EUR160 bill and a US$181.60 conversion offer. Those are illustrative amounts, not a current exchange-rate quote. My card is billed in US dollars.
He preferred the dollar option: "At least we'd know the amount straight away." I liked seeing a familiar number too. But I realised I hadn't checked the card's foreign-transaction terms or how that displayed conversion had been calculated. Knowing a number doesn't tell me whether it includes a good or poor exchange rate or other costs.
I don't want to start researching while someone stands behind me at a hotel desk. I also don't want to arrive with a slogan about always choosing one button while not understanding what either button does.
What would you check before travelling, and what would you ask to see at the terminal? I'm trying to make the decision understandable in advance so the familiar dollar sign doesn't automatically win when I'm tired.