play.com: New Euro option hiked up

honru · 22-04-2004 10:58pm #1

www.play.com just introduced a new currency option onsite; you can now choose between Sterling and Euro. While this should be great news, the conversions are disapointingly hiked up, so you should stick to purchasing products using the Sterling option so that you don't get ripped off. Examples of some items and their hike;

Guns N' Roses - "Greatest Hits"
Sterling option: £13.40 (£8.99)
Euro option: €14.49

Kill Bill Vol. 1
Sterling option: €20.80 (£13.99)
Euro option: €22.49

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Sterling option: €44.60 (£29.99)
Euro option: €47.99

alleepally · 22-04-2004 11:07pm

Thanks for the tip off but don't forget to add on about 2.5% on top of the currency exchange rate. CC companies charge a little extra for a foreign currency transaction. Even at that, they are still "rounding up" on the heavy side.

slave1 · 23-04-2004 7:29am

Tesco Visa do not charge commision on ccy translations

drane2 · 23-04-2004 6:50pm

Nobody charges any commission for foreign currency transactions on credit cards. They might charge commissions for cash advances in a foreign country but that'd be about it.

alleepally · 23-04-2004 7:13pm

sorry to contradict you drane but that is incorrect. Ring up your credit card company and ask.... check the link below as well and you'll see what the companies charge for non-euro transactions. it's the latest survey from ifsra.

http://www.ifsra.ie/data/cr_pub_files/Credit%20card%20cost%20survey%20-%20issue%201.pdf

therecklessone · 23-04-2004 7:19pm

Originally posted by drane2
Nobody charges any commission for foreign currency transactions on credit cards. They might charge commissions for cash advances in a foreign country but that'd be about it.

Wrong.

MBNA Terms And Conditions:

"8b If you make a transaction in a currency other than euro, we will change the amount into euro at the wholesale market rate...we will charge commission of 2.65% of the value of each foreign-currency transaction"

Other banks charge 1.5% I believe.

[edit]beaten to the punch...drat[/edit]

Raskolnikov · 24-04-2004 10:16am

Originally posted by f®eak s©enery

Guns N' Roses - "Greatest Hits"
Sterling option: £13.40 (£8.99)
Euro option: €14.49

8.1% Markup.

Originally posted by f®eak s©enery

Kill Bill Vol. 1
Sterling option: €20.80 (£13.99)
Euro option: €22.49

8.1% Markup

Originally posted by f®eak s©enery

Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Sterling option: €44.60 (£29.99)
Euro option: €47.99

7.6% Markup

Even if the credit card companies charge 1.5%-2.5% for currency transaction you're still saving money by going with the Sterling option.

therecklessone · 24-04-2004 12:54pm

Originally posted by Raskolnikov

Even if the credit card companies charge 1.5%-2.5% for currency transaction you're still saving money by going with the Sterling option.

Nobody's disputing that.

Originally posted by alleepally

Thanks for the tip off but don't forget to add on about 2.5% on top of the currency exchange rate. CC companies charge a little extra for a foreign currency transaction. Even at that, they are still "rounding up" on the heavy side.

See?