http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5a96bf26-2b07-11e1-8a38-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1h6jDSWnr

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2076463/OFT-orders-banks-scrap-debit-card-charges-buying-foreign-currency.html



So, banks in the UK are forced to scrap "unfair charges" for foreign currencies.

A while ago, I used my debit card (for the hell of it - I normally use PayPal) to buy 2 gogs, and got hit by an extra charge that practically doubled the cost of the game.... (I'm in RBS)...

It's a possible loophole - on this site it's US Dollars, and we're not exactly buying that currency, but converting the pound to the dollar, then making a purchase - in essentially one step...

Anyone willing to take a possible hit to test this out? :P
Oh crap. From the end of next year....someone set a reminder!

Nope - transactions abroad are unnaffected. You're buying from Cyprus here dude. It's for buying foreign currency on your card while in the UK. For example I go down to my local bank and buy some dollars for my pounds they can no longer mark up the exchange. If you go online to an american store, you're still screwed.

Why - I don't know. Because internet charges overseas really cripple the banks? Maybe there's a risk in exchanging currency with more of a delay? Maybe it's naked profiteering, and we just want the bankers to keep their clothes on, so we pay.