I just noticed that I'm being billed a "Foreign Transaction Fee Finance Charge" when purchasing addons from foreign (outside my country-USA) countries when looking at my MasterCard bills. Came as a surprise to me when purchasing addons for FSX from Aerosoft-DE and SimFlight-DE.Do these companies take PayPal, were I can possibly avoid these charges? Now I'm wondering if PayPal will also do the same when making any "foreign" purchases". We don't pay a VAT in the US, but theses foreign transaction charges are like a mini-VAT.

These fees are charged by the issuing bank, not the credit card company. My bank does not charge one for Mastercard use. I think Paypal charges a fee as well, but am not 100% sure. Here is a short list I found that shows how much it varies:American Express - 2%Bank of America - 3%Chase - 3%Citi Bank - 3%Washington Mutual - 1%Wells Fargo - 3%Capital One - No Foreign Transaction FeeKylehttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpg

This is the same fee the bank teller would charge you to exchange your cash for another country's. I deal with it every time I exchange my US currency for Canadian before going into Canada as well as any debit or credit card purchases I make in Canada.----------------------------------------------------------------John MorganReal World: KGEG, UND Aerospace Spokane Satellite, Private ASEL 141.2 hrs, 314 landings, 46 inst. apprs.Virtual: MSFS 2004, MIDCON P-401"There is a feeling about an airport that no other piece of ground can have. No matter what the name of the country on whose land it lies, an airport is a place you can see and touch that leads to a reality that can only be thought and felt." - The Bridge Across Forever: A Love Story by Richard Bach

Strange. Here in the UK we only get charged for cash transactions when we get cash with our credit cards not when we purchase add ons for FSX.

i know my CC back in 2000 only charged the exchange rate for the day of transaction. i was on a trip to scotland (land of the scobie's) and was very happy to use my CC instead of going to a exchange office (to turn US dollars into pounds) where you got the exchange rate and then a transation fee.a few years ago i received notice from my CC that in addition to the exchange rate for time of purchase, i would be charged a fee for the transation. i said to myself, "glad i visited scotland when i did ...">... but theses foreign transaction charges are like a mini-VAT. the charge isn't a tax ... it is a processing fee. this is another way for the CC company to make some money. no different than an exchange office or bank charging a fee to process a check, or exchange money into another currency.--

That and the Euro vs.USD rate, is precisely why I stopped shopping at Simflight and Aerosoft! I usually find the programs that I want at Avsim, FlightSim and PC Aviator Stores for less!PC Aviator also gives a 5% discount to their Magazine subscribers as well as running 10% off specials regularly.These days every penny counts! Pete S.

Hi VictorI think the only UK credit card which doesn't charge a fee is the "Nationwide" Visa. The rest make a small charge, I think they call it a Forex fee.RegardsKen

>Strange. Here in the UK we only get charged for cash>transactions when we get cash with our credit cards not when>we purchase add ons for FSX.If this apply to purchases in foreign currency, this is very good. But maybe your fixed yearly fee or rate is higher to compensate for the exchange fees. The only thing that I'm sure of is that you'll pay for the exchange costs in some way. There is no bank or credit institution giving you anything for nothing.Ulf BCore2Duo X6800 3.3GHz4GB RAM Corsair XMS2-8500C5BFG 8800GTX, Creative SB X-FiFSX Acc/SP2, Vista 32

>Hi Victor>>I think the only UK credit card which doesn't charge a fee is>the "Nationwide" Visa. The rest make a small charge, I think>they call it a Forex fee.>>Regards>>KenNo never seen any fee on my statement after any FSX purchase. However, as Ulf B says, it's probably added into the exchange rate they use when converting back to Sterling.