Rick Steves Always Refuses This 'Service' When Paying The Bill In Europe

World traveler and TV host Rick Steves offers European do's and don't's all over his website, including the types of restaurants tourists want to avoid and tipping faux pas to be aware of when paying your bill across the European continent. Now, when it comes time to pay your check, Steves has outlined a service that you should just say no to at all costs: dynamic currency conversion, otherwise known as DCC.

Steves explained that plenty of business owners in Europe are now happy to convert your purchases into euros or pounds, for a fee, of course. This happens when using a credit card in Europe, for example, at a restaurant. You finish your meal and are offered on a card reader the choice to switch from USD to the local money, such as "EUR" for euros, then are handed a receipt with your total bill with both amounts listed per currency, which you then circle one and put your signature next to.

If you do not circle prior to signing, Steves warns that you'll be paying a hefty "convenience" fee for using American dollars that are converted with the exchange rate connected to the business owners' bank and could hit you with a foreign-transaction fee on your monthly statement.

The good news, according to Rick Steves, is that you have the right to decline the dynamic currency conversion at any time. Instead, Steves recommends that you ask the merchant to ring you up again in local currency if your bill reads in USD the first time. If that request is denied, make a note on your copy of the receipt that reads "local currency not offered" and tell the proprietor that you will dispute the charges upon returning home. That might lead to some heated exchanges, so see if you can first pay with cash, though be careful to steer clear of certain ATMs in Europe that may be untrustworthy.

On the subject of ATMs, Steves cautioned travelers that some European ones might sneakily trick you into using dynamic currency conversion. Anytime the message reads "guarantee" or "lock in" on the ATM regarding your conversion rate, go with "continue without conversion," "YES for dollars," or "NO for euros" in order to get the local currency you need. If you are still running into problems, Forbes recommended travelers find another ATM to try, use a credit card without a foreign transaction fee, or download a currency-converter app to track your expenses in American dollars prior to any purchase.