A familiar amount in your home currency can hide an expensive exchange rate. A few simple checks help you stay in control when withdrawing cash, paying by card or changing money. Read the currency, payout and fees before you confirm.
How to avoid currency traps
The ATM conversion offer
How it worksYou request local cash, and the ATM offers to convert the withdrawal into your home currency immediately. A “guaranteed rate” can sound reassuring. This is Dynamic Currency Conversion, or DCC, and the rate is often unfavourable. Stiftung Warentest also describes screens that ask again after you decline.
WhereTurkey is one example. Our Antalya and Istanbul guides both cover conversion offers at ATMs.
How to protect yourself
- Always choose the local currency and decline the offered conversion.
- Read the next screen too. An amount in your home currency is no reason to change your choice.
- Check any separate withdrawal fee. Germany’s consumer advice service explains both costs.
The conversion offer at the checkout
How it worksA card terminal can offer to charge you in your home currency too. That convenience often comes with a markup or an unfavourable rate. Germany’s consumer advice service recommends asking to be charged in the local currency.
WhereCard payments in Istanbul and Antalya, for example. Both guides recommend Turkish lira.
How to protect yourself
- Tell the merchant you want to pay in the local currency.
- Check the amount and currency on the terminal before approving payment.
- If the amount has already been converted, ask to pay in the local currency. The consumer guidance explains why.
The ATM with an extra withdrawal fee
How it worksThe ATM operator charges a fee on top of the cash you withdraw. Your own bank may charge separately. Stiftung Warentest has documented direct fees at specialist operators, including Euronet. A withdrawal fee is a cost to assess, and by itself does not establish fraud.
WhereGermany is one documented example. Stiftung Warentest describes specialist operators at stations, airports, petrol stations and shopping centres. None of our city guides specifically covers Euronet.
How to protect yourself
- Read the fee screen before you confirm.
- Cancel if the withdrawal is too expensive and compare another ATM.
- Check your card terms before travelling. Declining DCC does not remove a separate ATM fee. The study of specialist operators documents the business model, but its historical fee amounts are not current tariffs.
The exchange booth with the reassuring sign
How it works“0% commission” does not tell you whether the exchange rate is good. A prominent rate may also refer to exchanging in the opposite direction. The Czech National Bank explains that buying and selling rates are shown from the exchange office’s perspective. Unofficial cash swaps carry another risk: counterfeit notes.
WhereOur Prague guide covers confusion over the direction of exchange in Czechia. The Barcelona guide includes Spain’s national warning about counterfeit cash from unofficial money changers.
How to protect yourself
- Ask exactly how much local cash you will receive for the amount you hand over. Compare that payout.
- Read the buying and selling rates carefully, and keep your receipt. The Czech National Bank explains the distinction.
- Use banks or official exchange offices. Decline private swaps, as the UK travel advice for Spain recommends.
Card skimming at a tampered ATM
How it worksCriminals copy card data to use it without your permission. Extra devices on an ATM’s card slot and cameras can capture card details and your PIN. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office specifically warns about these devices in its Thailand advice.
WhereThailand. Our Bangkok guide covers tampered ATMs in tourist areas.
How to protect yourself
- Prefer ATMs inside bank buildings and check your surroundings.
- Cover the keypad when entering your PIN. Do not use a machine with suspicious attachments.
- Check your transactions and contact your bank about unfamiliar withdrawals. See the Federal Foreign Office advice and LINK’s safety guidance.
The stranger offering to help
How it worksYou have trouble using an ATM, and a stranger steps in. They may distract you or try to learn your PIN. Even if your card is stuck, keep your PIN to yourself.
WhereIn Britain, the ATM network LINK explicitly warns about strangers offering help or distracting you at cash machines. Our city guides do not cover this particular trick.
How to protect yourself
- Keep control of your card and never share your PIN. Decline help from strangers.
- If the surroundings feel suspicious, use another machine.
- If your card is retained, contact your bank immediately, ideally while still there. Save its contact details before travelling. LINK’s safety leaflet explains what to do.
What our city guides say
- Hurghada: Covers taxis, hotel doctors and fake visa helpers.
- Paris: Covers charity petitions, ticket resellers and fake police checks.
- Rome: Covers airport taxis, distraction theft and ticket touts.
- Marrakech: Covers unsolicited guides, unwanted henna and swapped purchases.
- Lisbon: Covers pickpockets, couvert charges and fake Metro tickets.
- Barcelona: Warns about counterfeit notes from unofficial money changers.
- Bangkok: Covers tampered ATMs and recommends shielding your PIN.
- Prague: Explains misleading exchange directions and checking the payout first.
- Antalya: Recommends declining conversion and choosing Turkish lira.
- Istanbul: Covers currency conversion at card terminals and ATMs.
- Dubai: Covers fake tickets, cloned top up sites and shopping scams.
Pay with confidence
Take a moment to check the currency, amount and fees before approving a transaction. For the rest of your trip, TravelCheck on iPhone builds your own list for your destination and travel profile, ready to use offline.
FAQ
What is Dynamic Currency Conversion, or DCC?
DCC is an offer to convert a withdrawal or card payment into your home currency at the ATM or card terminal. The conversion provider sets the rate. Choose the local currency and decline that conversion to avoid rates or markups that are often unfavourable.
Which currency should I choose when withdrawing cash or paying?
Always choose the local currency and decline the offered conversion. In Turkey, that means Turkish lira. Check the currency and amount before confirming. Your card fees and any separate ATM fee may still apply.
Does declining conversion remove the ATM fee too?
No. Currency conversion and the ATM fee are separate costs. Read the fee screen and check your card terms. If the withdrawal is too expensive, cancel before confirming and compare another ATM.
Does 0% commission mean an exchange booth offers a good deal?
The claim alone tells you nothing about whether the exchange rate is good. Exchange booths can offer different rates. Ask for the exact amount you will receive before handing over cash, and keep the receipt. Use a bank or an official exchange office.
What should a merchant in the EU tell me about currency conversion?
A merchant offering conversion for a card payment must tell you about the related charges at the time of purchase. EU guidance calls for a percentage markup over the latest available euro reference rate from the European Central Bank. Disclosure alone does not make the rate good value.
What should I do if an ATM keeps my card?
Contact your bank or card issuer immediately, ideally while you are still at the ATM. Use the contact details you saved beforehand. Never share your PIN or let a stranger guide you through further entries. If the card is lost or you suspect fraud, have it blocked.