FEEPercentage comparison
DCC and foreign transaction fee
Compare local-currency payment with a DCC quote on the same bill.
Pay locally10,300
Pay with DCC10,815
Extra with DCC: 515 (5.0%)
No live FX. Percentages only. Confirm fees with your issuer.
CARD FEE CALCULATOR
Local currency or DCC—what will you actually pay?
Enter the bill, your card's foreign transaction fee, and a DCC markup to compare the two ways of paying abroad. No live exchange rate is required.
Pay in local currency when you can. ·DCC is a worse rate, not a separate line item. ·Some cards still charge FTF on top of DCC.
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READ BEFORE YOU GO
Understand the calculation
How it works, examples, limits and sources behind the tool.
How it works
The calculator treats the bill as 100 in local-currency units. Paying locally costs that amount plus your card's foreign transaction fee. Choosing DCC multiplies the bill by the DCC markup, and optionally by the same FTF if your issuer still charges it on converted amounts.
It does not fetch a live exchange rate. Both paths are percentages on the same bill, so you can compare them without knowing today’s mid-market FX. ATM “accept conversion” screens use the same two paths as a shop terminal.
Worked example
A 10,000 local-currency bill on a 3% FTF card costs 10,300 if you pay locally. A 5% DCC quote with FTF still applied costs 10,815—about 515 extra, or 5%. A 0% FTF travel card would pay 10,000 locally versus 10,500 with DCC.
A €180 hotel desk that offers to bill “in your home currency” at a 6% DCC markup on a 3% card is 180 × 1.06 × 1.03 ≈ 197, versus 180 × 1.03 = 185 if you pay in euro. The familiar home-currency number is the expensive one. Try the same numbers with FTF set to 0% if you hold a travel card.
When to use it
Use it at a foreign POS, ATM or hotel desk when the terminal asks you to choose a currency, and when comparing a no-FTF travel card with a standard 3% card.
Use it before you travel to see how large a DCC markup has to be before it beats a 3% card — it almost never does. The paying-abroad guide on this site covers cash and card choice; this page only compares two percentage paths.
Common mistakes
The usual mistake is choosing the home-currency amount because the number looks familiar. Another is assuming DCC replaces the issuer fee: many cards charge FTF on DCC too. ATM 'accept conversion' screens are the same trap.
A third is comparing DCC to a tourist-bureau cash rate without including the ATM cash fee. This tool does not add cash-withdrawal fees; add them yourself if you are weighing an ATM against the terminal.
Basis and limits
Markups of 3%–8% follow common card-network descriptions of DCC. The tool does not fetch live FX; it compares two percentage paths on the same bill. Actual rates, ATM cash fees and merchant behaviour vary. Confirm with your issuer.
Some networks or merchants disable DCC. Some issuers rebate FTF. The numbers you type are what the comparison uses — not a live authorization from the card scheme.
Quick answers
Should I pay in local currency or my home currency?
Pay in the local currency. Choosing your home currency usually means DCC, which adds a 3%–8% markup on top of the bill.
What is a DCC fee?
DCC is not a line-item fee. It is a worse exchange rate offered at the terminal, typically 3%–8% above the card-network rate.
What is a foreign transaction fee?
A foreign transaction fee (FTF) is charged by your card issuer on non-home-currency purchases, often 1%–3%. Some travel cards charge 0%.