Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 311: To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the overcharging of persons from non-eurozone states when they use their visa credit cards here and request that payment be taken in their own currency. [30045/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for investigating complaints regarding credit card charges rests with the financial regulator.

My Department has been informed by the financial regulator that a small percentage of credit card sale terminals in the State offer a service which provides consumers from non-eurozone countries with the option of having their bill charged in their home currency at the time of purchase. This service is offered in accordance with the rules of the international card payment schemes. The rate of exchange applied to these transactions, if the customer avails of the option, is set each morning by reference to the then prevailing international rate of exchange. This exchange rate may not be as beneficial to the customer as that which would have been applied by the card company when charging the transaction to the card holder's account if the payment were made in euros. My Department was informed in 2004 of one case of the type of transaction referred to in the Deputy's question.

My Department understands that the financial regulator has received a small number of complaints from consumers from countries not in the eurozone relating to the use of their credit cards in the State. In this context, if the Deputy is aware of particular complaints from consumers, the financial regulator would welcome any specific details and will investigate the matter further.