Credit cards & foreign country fees

[lilybug]

Just found out that Oceania banks through a foreign country (not their Miami office). We deposited for a cruise next summer and had a random 3% foreign country fee on our Mastercard. We are familiar with this fee when out of the US, and use a Capital One when purchasing outside US. We were not informed that we would be billed from outside the US and thus got hit with this fee. Oceania has agreed to issue us an on-board credit, but we are grateful to learn of this practice before using this card for the balance and any on-board charges ... we will use our Capital One from here on in when dealing with Oceania.

 

So be aware of these extra charges ... it's not about the amount - it's about no one mentioning it.

[tgg]

This subject has been covered extensively on this board. Here are links to two of the threads. I remember them because I started one last October.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=580463&highlight=ireland

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=430210&highlight=ireland

[lilybug]

Thanks, it's very interesting. Just never thought of it since both TA and Oceania are working out of Florida ... you just never know. At least this was only the deposit.

[scdreamer]

All the more reason to choose a TA who is experienced and pro-active. Our TA advised us regarding the foreign transaction fee, and even waited a few days for our deposit while we reactivated our Capital One credit card, which had expired because we had not used it for an extended period of time.:)

[LHT28]

I have not re-read the previous threads on this topic but I seem to recall it was only certain credit cards this happened with.

 

We have made 4 transactions with O this year and my CC says " Oceania Miami" on the statement

 

So I wonder is it O or is the CC company ?

[Dale Jr]

I have not re-read the previous threads on this topic but I seem to recall it was only certain credit cards this happened with.

 

I didn't read them either.

 

It is only certain credit cards. There was no charge on my card which was used for both the deposit and final payment of our Baltic cruise. However the on board charges were on my significant others (thanks Maya-Tucker) card for our cruise and when we arrived home from Europe we found the 3% extra charge on her statement.

 

I spoke with Oceania and they were apologetic and explained it was beyond their control and only happened with certain cards. Before I had time to protest/question this they continued with please just submit your card statement and we will issue you a refund or an on board credit for your next cruise - our choice.

 

In a cruise follow-up conversation with our TA the same was confirmed with the added benefit that we could simply send the information to our TA and that they would take care of it with Oceania. This is the customer service we have come to expect, and be greatful for, from both our TA and Oceania.

 

As an aside note, prior to leaving for Europe we both called Capital One and listed our dates and countries to be visited and they noted that in our credit card file. The very first place we tried to use the card in London it was rejected and we were forced to end up paying the 3% charge. This is two years in a row that has happened with Capital One so we no longer carry their card effective upon our return. I am curious if anyone else has had that experience with Capital One. We don't use the card in the US and only got it to save the 3%. Perhaps the reason for their declining charges is that we don't ever use it except outside of the country?

[Golfette]

We will be 1st time Oceania & 1st time overseas cruisers next year. While I know anything can happen between now & then, are there any CCs that do not charge foreign transaction fees or do you have to shop around? Apparently Capital One is no longer reliable?

[Rickey 88]

If you read through all the previous posts (and there are many) on this subject, you will see that the 3% surcharge seems to be levied by just a few banks. These are mostly in the JP Morgan/Chase group who have always treated Oceania as a "foreign" merchant, even though all the charges are banked through their Miami office.

 

Some posters have claimed that Oceania then processes their routing through an Irish bank, but none of us know this to be true. However, they have always been gracious in getting this "surcharge" back to some passengers in the way of room credit.

 

Since this surcharge is a result of the Chase group policies - the wisest course of action would be to use another bank card. And, call your bank in advance to be sure......

[serendipity1499]

If you read through all the previous posts (and there are many) on this subject, you will see that the 3% surcharge seems to be levied by just a few banks. These are mostly in the JP Morgan/Chase group who have always treated Oceania as a "foreign" merchant, even though all the charges are banked through their Miami office.

 

Some posters have claimed that Oceania then processes their routing through an Irish bank, but none of us know this to be true. However, they have always been gracious in getting this "surcharge" back to some passengers in the way of room credit.

 

Since this surcharge is a result of the Chase group policies - the wisest course of action would be to use another bank card. And, call your bank in advance to be sure......

 

Actually I do know this to be true...Oceania does process their credit cards through a bank in Ireland..The Oceania Rep. confirmed this to be true & my final credit card bill shows this to be true...

 

The two threads mentioned above are very short & some good info is included..To quote part of my post on the other thread:

 

"This came up on this board last year..Our TA is in California & I discussed this with her when we booked our Amazon Cruise....According to her Oceania Sales Rep., Oceania claims it's been corrected & was only happening in rare cases with only one CC Company....

 

Our Credit Card Company normally does charge 3%... However our TA guaranteed that we would get any conversion fee back if it was in fact charged...I'm going to hold her to that as a conversion fee would be a couple of hundred dollars.! We still wanted to use our normal CC since we receive a 1% rebate for every dollar we charge..

 

I paid our final payment on Monday...Have just checked our bill on-line & it looks like no foreign transaction fee was charged.. Really hope that's the way it is, but will wait till we actually receive our bill from them..;)

 

Our friends also paid their final payment & they confirmed it was Oceania in California who processed their charge..

 

Wonder if it has anything to do with which Oceania office is accepting payment.. It's very odd that that funds paid in US Dollars are processed in Ireland in local currency & then converted back into US Dollars..

 

Both DH & I recently applied for a Capitol One Card, just to use when we shop out of the country so as not to pay those transaction fees..The only thing I don't like about Capitol One is we don't automatically get a 1% rebate off our monthly bill, which I do get when we use our other Credit Card..:) Betty"

 

As mentioned we opted not to pay for our final payment with our CapitalOne cards..We each have our own card with two different account Numbers..Instead we used our joint Chase Credit Card (Part of the JP Morgan Group)...I was told that often conversion charges do not always show up on-line, so I waited for our final statement to come in..

 

Here is my subsequent post of June 30, 2007:

 

"Our closing date for this account was June 28...We're happy to report that, our final bill reads exactly what we paid in US dollars for both the cruise & the excursion, even though it indicates that the charge was put through & billed by Oceania Cruises, Inc. IRL..

 

Will use our CapitalOne Cards for purchases in local currency when we are out of the country..Many merchants outside of the US, will bill your credit card in USD..Suggest you check it out before using any Credit Card other than CapitalOne.."

 

Hope this helps, :) Betty

[Beach Nut]

When I called my credit card company after my initial $1,000 deposit for our first O cruise came up as $1,030, the customer service rep at the card co. told me that it was because the payment had been processed by a bank in Ireland and there was nothing that the card co. could do for me.

 

I called Oceania and a very polite woman, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten, apologized and told me that they would tender the $30 to us in credit to our shipboard account when we took the cruise, which they did.

 

From subsequent posts, I thought that this matter was totally settled, so it gave me a start today to read that there is still some problem with this.

 

I just checked the card statement for my recent deposit for our second O cruise and the "Oceania" charge was for $1,000. It's an LLBean BofA card.

 

According to memory, wasn't Frank Del Rio instrumental with getting this matter resolved? And, I wonder what the deal is with Chase? Anybody in banking out there know why there would be one card company that's still charging extra?

 

Thanks for any help anyone can give to shed some illumination on this. I can't stand it when financial things aren't concrete, as it makes me feel that it's open to change again, without notice. (I also realize that there are no real guarantees in life, but when I expect to pay a given amount, and it comes back with an extra, unexpected charge, it's just one more thing that I feel I have to contend with, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm already pretty overwhelmed with things I'm "contending" with. :eek: )

 

Susan

[owl61]

Worth repeating. See class notice and web site re antitrust case settlement.

http://www.ccfsettlement.com/

[Benita]

Conde Naste Magazine had a big article about this last year. Since Oceania uses a bank in Ireland, even though they charge in US dollars, a credit card company can charge a foreign bank fee. If the charges were in a foreign currency, then they can add a foreign currency fee. Chase charges for both. Citibank does not charge the foreign bank fee, just the currency fee. Capital One charges neither. Both fees are higher than the value of frequent flyer points, so we use Capital One to pay for Oceania and to charge items out of the US.

[hondorner]

I was concerned that there would be the foreign transaction fee on our LLBean Visa, which at the time was issued by MBNA. At that time, there was a specific reference in the terms of service that they would charge the foreign transaction fee.

 

So, I went looking for a card which specifically stated in the terms of service that they would NOT charge the fee, and found it in what I thought was an unusual offering -- an American Express card offered under license by MBNA. I signed up for that card, charge our cruise (and got mileage rewards), with no fee.

 

Subsequently, Bank of America took over all MBNA accounts, including both the AmEx and the LLBean Visa. I have used the Bank of America AmEx ever since for all of our travel with no foreign transaction fees. I have also used my Bank of America Visa Check Card (debit card) with no foreign transaction fees. I'm interested to hear that the LLBean card no longer has the fees, as we still use it when AmEx is not accepted.

[LHT28]

Still does not answer the question if Oceania is banking through Ireland, why is it only some credit cards show this & other say Miami??? :confused::confused:

it does not make sense to me

 

Guess I will have to go and re-read the other threads again.

[serendipity1499]

Worth repeating. See class notice and web site re antitrust case settlement.

http://www.ccfsettlement.com/

 

We have filed a claim with the class action law suit against Chase...Unfortunately I did not keep my receipts from 1996 through 2005...I only keep our Credit Card bills for one year, so was entitled to only get back the fee paid in 2006...Of course I could have estimated for the prior years.., But could not figure out how much it was & chose to forget those years..We don't often purchase big ticket items outside of the states..

 

However this class action law suit does not preclude the card companies, from still charging a currency conversion fee...

 

The class action law suit claim form specifically states that since our Card Company did not adequately notify card holders of the fee charged we are now entitled to get that fee returned to us..Our Chase Freedom Card has since amended the notice to card holders & now specifically spells out that they will charge a currency conversion fee...That's the reason why I checked my Oceania deposit & final payment on our card..

 

As mentioned in my previous post,the "Oceania (Outside) Sales Rep", confirmed to our Travel Agent that only one Credit Card Company is still charging the Fee, but I forgot to find out which one it was..Betty

[serendipity1499]

Conde Naste Magazine had a big article about this last year. Since Oceania uses a bank in Ireland, even though they charge in US dollars, a credit card company can charge a foreign bank fee. If the charges were in a foreign currency, then they can add a foreign currency fee. Chase charges for both. Citibank does not charge the foreign bank fee, just the currency fee. Capital One charges neither. Both fees are higher than the value of frequent flyer points, so we use Capital One to pay for Oceania and to charge items out of the US.

 

Not all Citibank cards are the same! Discussed this thread last night with our Friends, who are going to the Amazon with us..My friend stated she had called Citibank & they told her they do charge the fee...She therfore opted to make final payment on their new CapitalOne card..Have been told that some banks may charge a currency conversion fee on their debit cards also..

 

Each person should call their Credit Card company &/or Bank...Ask about their policy & be sure to get the names of those you spoke to..Betty

[serendipity1499]

Just found out that Oceania banks through a foreign country (not their Miami office). We deposited for a cruise next summer and had a random 3% foreign country fee on our Mastercard. We are familiar with this fee when out of the US, and use a Capital One when purchasing outside US. We were not informed that we would be billed from outside the US and thus got hit with this fee. Oceania has agreed to issue us an on-board credit, but we are grateful to learn of this practice before using this card for the balance and any on-board charges ... we will use our Capital One from here on in when dealing with Oceania.

 

So be aware of these extra charges ... it's not about the amount - it's about no one mentioning it.

 

Just a minor correction...This fee is a "Currency Conversion Fee" not a Foreign Country fee...It really has nothing to do with Oceania & many Travel Agents are still not aware of this problem..The fee is strictly charged by your bank..

 

Many merchants in Countries outside of the US & Canada, will bill your Credit Card Company in USD or CAD, which will not entail a foreign "Currency Conversion fee"..Only those charges billed in local currency ie: Euros, Pesos etc are subject to the "Currency Conversion Fee" ...Betty

[raf411]

FYI -

There seem to be some inconsistencies. In the past couple of months, we have made the deposit and paid for the 12/21/07 Insignia SA Cruise and have seen no Currency Conversion Fees on our Chase CO card.

 

Ruth

[DaveFr]

Just a minor correction...This fee is a "Currency Conversion Fee" not a Foreign Country fee...It really has nothing to do with Oceania & many Travel Agents are still not aware of this problem..The fee is strictly charged by your bank..

 

Many merchants in Countries outside of the US & Canada, will bill your Credit Card Company in USD or CAD, which will not entail a foreign "Currency Conversion fee"..Only those charges billed in local currency ie: Euros, Pesos etc are subject to the "Currency Conversion Fee" ...Betty

Betty,

 

Some Mastercards at least, do have a Foreign Country Fee that they apply to Oceania charges. I have an airline affiliated Mastercard from Juniper Bank (part of the Barclays group) that defines it's Foreign Country Fee as follows:

 

"Foreign Country Fee: Any transaction with a business, other entity or person located outside the United

States (regardless of the currency of the transaction), will be subject to a foreign country fee that will appear on

the applicable statement."

 

The fee appeared after I charged the deposit on an Oceania cruise. Lillybug may use a similar Mastercard. After discovering that Oceania was considered to be a foreign company because their bank is in Ireland, I vowed never to use this card on Oceania. It's Juniper Bank's loss for their ridiculous policy. My Amex card doesn't charge any fee for Oceania charges.

 

Earlier this year, I cancelled my original Oceania cruise and booked a different Oceania cruise. When Oceania credited my Mastercard for the deposit on the original cruise, the credit card statement still showed Oceania as being in Ireland but didn't charge the Foreign Country Fee on the credit transaction. Maybe they don't consider a credit as being a transaction.

[serendipity1499]

Betty,

 

Some Mastercards at least, do have a Foreign Country Fee that they apply to Oceania charges. I have an airline affiliated Mastercard from Juniper Bank (part of the Barclays group) that defines it's Foreign Country Fee as follows:

 

"Foreign Country Fee: Any transaction with a business, other entity or person located outside the United

States (regardless of the currency of the transaction), will be subject to a foreign country fee that will appear on

the applicable statement."

 

The fee appeared after I charged the deposit on an Oceania cruise. Lillybug may use a similar Mastercard. After discovering that Oceania was considered to be a foreign company because their bank is in Ireland, I vowed never to use this card on Oceania. It's Juniper Bank's loss for their ridiculous policy. My Amex card doesn't charge any fee for Oceania charges.

 

Earlier this year, I cancelled my original Oceania cruise and booked a different Oceania cruise. When Oceania credited my Mastercard for the deposit on the original cruise, the credit card statement still showed Oceania as being in Ireland but didn't charge the Foreign Country Fee on the credit transaction. Maybe they don't consider a credit as being a transaction.

 

Dave, thanks for correcting me on that..That is even worse than I thought...Assume you are saying that Juniper Bank Master Card will still impose a "Foreign Country Fee" because the charge was made out of the country even though it was in USD.....Wow...

 

So far on our 2006 Chase Freedom Card bills, we were only charged that fee in Brazil, when the merchant charged the amount in local currency instead of USD for my pearls....Another thing we have to look out for..:eek:

 

Hope CapitalOne stays the same...Betty

[Golfette]

Since we haven't traveled overseas in some time, this is all rather confusing. We used our BofA Visa to make the deposit on O for next year. I checked our Visa statement and there was no other fee except the deposit. Now I'm thinking that since our cruise is nearly a year away, we should wait till a few months before & check out credit cards then. Like everything else, CCs seem to be changing their terms all the time.

[pacmom]

Thanks for resurecting this topic. We were hit by this monster when we paid our deposit of our Jan. Panama Canal trip. Our TA had tried to get us credit in Jan.2007 when the bill arrived--no luck. This time she succeeded. Not much but enough to buy a few cokes and a bottle of wine. We are looking forward to seeing areas of the world that will be new to us. Pat:)

[suzieque]

Now I'm a little confused. My initial deposit is on my Chase, United Mileage Plus Visa. There was no extra charge for anything other than the $1,000 deposit. Does this mean my card can be used for final payment and onboard charges without any extra bank charges??Has anyone had any extra charges for using a Citibank (American Airlines frequent flyer)card with Oceania? That's my other favorite for getting mileage.

Thanks for your input and knowledge,

Suzie

[scdreamer]

It seems to be hit or miss as to which cards charge the foreign transaction fee of 3% - and even for what transactions.

 

We called our credit card provider to check before we decided which card to use. We were told by Bank of America (AlaskaAir Visa) that we WOULD be charged the 3 % fee if we used the card to make our deposit/purchase for our cruise on Oceania, so we opted to use our Capital One card instead.

 

My advice, if you want to be sure you won't be charged, is to call your cc bank before you use a card.

[LHT28]

. We were told by Bank of America (AlaskaAir Visa) that we WOULD be charged the 3 % fee if we used the card to make our deposit/purchase for our cruise on Oceania,

 

Just curious

Did they give you a reason they charge the fee ...Oceania is based in Miami I don't know why they think it is a Foreign Country ??