Dynamic Currency Conversion Performance Guide
Dynamic Currency Conversion Performance Guide
Currency
Conversion
Performance Guide
Helping Acquirers and Their DCC Service Providers
to Offer an Optimal Cardholder Experience
The offer wording is a clear message advising the cardholder of their choice to
complete the transaction in either the local currency or the cardholder’s billing
currency. This wording must be placed prominently on the screen of the cardholder’s
POI.
Prohibited practices with regard to cardholder influencing or steering include, but are not limited
to, the examples below:
• The cardholder must not be asked to select “yes” or “no”, “accept” or “decline”, “continue”
or “cancel”, or similar pairs of positive and negative options.
• The offer must not single out DCC as the only option or be phrased as a yes-or-no
question.
• Currency selection must not use “traffic lighting” color patterns, such as red and green
buttons.
• The terminal must not highlight or preselect the DCC option.
• The terminal must not use language that misrepresents or may draw false conclusions
about the issuer’s conversion process, such as implying that the issuer’s conversion will
add fees or unexpected conversion charges, or otherwise.
• DCC must not be presented as the more favorable option.
• Currency conversion options must not be misrepresented as being provided by
Mastercard.
Resolution: Acquirers must regularly update and maintain accurate BIN range
information using files sourced from Mastercard. Furthermore, they must ensure that all
downstream entities, such as DCC service providers and merchant/ATM systems, are also
using the current files.
Acceptance
DCC Offer Requirements
Environment
POS terminal If an unattended POS terminal cannot comply with the cardholder disclosure
requirements, the merchant must satisfy the requirements by some alternative means
to ensure that the cardholder understands the DCC offer before being asked to make
their currency selection.
NOTE: An unattended POS terminal is an environment in which the cardholder
completes a purchase for a product or service without an interaction with a cashier or
other merchant staff member.
ATM An acquirer must obtain approval to implement or update an ATM DCC offer by
terminal submitting samples of their proposed screens and receipts to Mastercard via e-mail
([email protected]) for review.
A cash withdrawal without a printed receipt at an ATM terminal is only allowed if the
device is out of paper. An exception to this requirement is in the Europe region where ATM
terminals without receipt printing capability are not required to offer a DCC receipt.
When a printed receipt is not available, the cardholder must be so advised prior to the
transaction taking place.
E-commerce During the checkout process, the merchant’s website or application must clearly and
and mobile prominently provide all of the required cardholder disclosure elements listed in subsection
2.2.2 of this guide before asking the cardholder to make their currency selection.
When DCC is offered for an e-commerce transaction, a currency conversion option may
be preselected by the DCC service provider, but the cardholder must be clearly provided
with the means to opt out of the currency conversion during the checkout process and
pay in the local currency.
Subfield
Subfield Name Purpose
Number
Additional Indicates through a value of 58 that DCC was performed on the
2 Amount, transaction and that the other subfields in the DE 54 occurrence relate
Amount Type to the conversion details.
Records the original, pre-conversion transaction currency code (i.e., the
Additional merchant’s local currency).
3 Amount,
NOTE: DE 49 (Currency Code, Transaction) reflects the updated
Currency Code
transaction currency as chosen by the cardholder.
Records the original, pre-conversion total transaction amount, inclusive
Additional of any fees, surcharges, or cash back, if applicable.
5 Amount,
NOTE: DE 4 (Amount, Transaction) reflects the updated transaction
Amount
amount in the currency chosen by the cardholder.
3.3 REGISTRATION
If an acquirer offers DCC at any of their merchant/ATM locations, the acquirer must register
themselves and any DCC service providers:
• If an acquirer does not use a third party service provider, they must register themselves
as their own service provider.
• An acquirer does not need to register the merchant/ATM locations where DCC is offered.
• Registration is performed at the Customer ID (CID) level; therefore, it is not necessary to
register individual ICA numbers, provided that the ICA numbers fall under the same CID.
• The responsibility for fees remains with the acquirer, even in cases when they are using a
service provider.
• Initial and renewal fees are charged per registration — regardless of whether an acquirer
or service provider is the registree. An acquirer may register multiple service providers.
• Any of the ICA numbers under the registered CID that are set up for billing can be
designated as the billing ICA number.
• Registration automatically renews in July of each year until the customer marks the
service provider, or the DCC service, as terminated.
1• C
ardholder is clearly asked to choose a currency.
1
Select Your Currency EUR XX,XX
2• A
mounts in local and billing currencies are displayed, as well as the
GBP XX,XX
2 exchange rate being used.
EUR = 25.00
GBP = 22.57 1 EUR = X,XXXXX GBP
3 3• Any applicable fees and markups are clearly disclosed.
2 including X,XX% markup
Conversion Rate NOTE: A markup is a commercial agreement between an acquirer and a
1EUR = 0.9GBP
Pay in: 1 merchant/ATM owner, and it does not necessarily reflect a comparison
4 to market exchange rates. However, local regulations in some areas may
4 1-EUR 3-GBP require a comparison to central bank exchange rates.
F1 = EUR F4 = GBP 5
5
4• C
ardholder is given two positive options using separate and equivalent
F1 F2 F3 F4 buttons that are clear and consistent with the rest of the screen.
1 2 3
5• O
ptions are mapped to neutral keys on the terminal.
4 5 6
7 8 9 All information is presented in English or in the cardholder’s native language.
Please choose
Choose currency 1• D
CC option is preselected or highlighted.
currency
EURO GBP 2• Exchange rate is missing.
1. GBP XX,XX 1 2
25.00 22.48
2. EUR XX,XX 3• P
resents the offer as a "yes" or "no"
question.
Exchange Pay in GBP? 3
rate: X,XXXXX NOTE: This practice is not acceptable, even if
Mark-up the options themselves are not “yes”
included: X,X% EUR GBP or “no”.
4 4• U
ses red and green “traffic lighting” color
pattern buttons.
1 2 3
NOTE: Choices also cannot be mapped to
4 5 6 physical red and green or cancel/
continue buttons on the terminal.
7 8 9
5• Does not have clear offer wording.
NOTE: Presenting the options without
context does not sufficiently inform
the cardholder.
ATM
Mastercard does not have a standard receipt disclaimer. At their discretion, the acquirer may add
their own disclaimers, in alignment with the following requirements:
• Disclaimers must not reference Mastercard; and
• The cardholder must not be discouraged from exercising their chargeback rights.
Figure 7: Example of Transaction Receipt That DOES NOT Meet Mastercard Standards
1• D
isclaimer references Mastercard.
NOTE: Mastercard does not perform currency conversion;
I have chosen not to use the Mastercard 1
this statement is incorrect. Mastercard must not be
currency conversion process and I will mentioned in reference to DCC.
ave no recourse or remedies against 2
[XXX] or against Mastercard concerning 1 2 C
ardholder is discouraged from exercising their
the currency rate or disclosure chargeback rights.
Topic Description
Pre-authorization Defining the term and when this option may be used for DCC transactions
Instructing how to process a transaction where the cardholder has selected DCC and
Tip adjustments
added a tip (gratuity)
Explaining how to correctly reverse a transaction where DCC has been incorrectly or
Voiding the sale
accidentally selected or applied
Instructing how to provide refunds on transactions where DCC has been selected or
Refunds
applied
5.3.1 HOTELS
In an express checkout transaction, there must be an advance, documented agreement from the
cardholder that they have accepted the DCC offer.
The agreement should contain the following information:
• The specific merchant’s pricing currency in which the transaction will take place;
• The total including all fees (commission, VAT, etc.) applied to the DCC transaction;
• A declaration that:
o The cardholder understands that DCC will take place without further
consultation;
o The exchange rate will be determined on the date that the transaction is
processed (final authorization);