OT: international transaction fee for purchasing from the uk...

[Nautilus]

I'm taking a look at my online bank statement, and there's 3 "international transaction fee"s from my probikekit orders.

They've charged me 2% of the cost of my order.

Is this standard, or should I give them a call?

If this is the way it is, that makes buying from the uk, a bit less appealing.

I placed my first order with my credit card, and the other two with a debit, and it's the same deal for both.

[Pete Serotta]

Unfortunately the banks have found this new source of revenue and have all jumped on the "charge" wagon,

From what I have read and seen 2-3% is the norm......

They all do it and I have not found a way around it. PETE

[majl]

As Serotta Pete says, it's a foreign currency transaction fee and is standard with nearly every bank's credit cards.

If you make a lot of purchases from foreign merchants, I would suggest looking into a Capitol One Visa. No FX fee and no annual fee. My wife and I travel a lot and it has become our sole credit card for use when abroad. Doesn't hurt for those purchases from PBK and Wiggle either!

[learlove]

I just got a $5.55 charge on my credit card saying it was an "international fee". The funny thing (or not so funny) is the 2 international charges were fraud charges I am currently clearing up. Great now I getting charges fees for charges I didn't make.

[old fat man]

i'm pretty sure my chase cash back card lumps the international fee into the transaction. at least online, there is no separately identifiable international fee when ordering from PBK. if i remember correctly though, the paper statement has a reference to it.

might be time to go back to capital one, at least for international orders and travel.

[JeffS]

I recently got a notice from BoA that they're now charging me what used to be called a currency conversion fee for all foreign transactions, even transactions handled in dollars. Another reason I don't use my BoA cards. I'll get around to canceling them one day.

In the past, you'd get hit with 2-3% for buying from PBK, but not from Wiggle. Now, they screw you equally.