Simon Calder issues warning to holiday makers over costly hidden charge when paying abroad

Holidaymakers are being warned about costly a hidden charge when travelling abroad.

The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder is urging tourists to be aware of dynamic currency conversion (DCC), a service that offers cardholders the option to pay in their own currency rather than the local one.

“Always go for the local currency otherwise you will be paying a lot more”, he advices, adding he had to pay 10 percent extra on a recent transaction after a retailer selected the option to pay in British currency for him.

Holidaymakers should not let the “very nice proprietor” choose the DCC option for them, as they often will select the original currency.