After an extended trip in the US where I used 4 credit cards - I can tell hat there are large differences --
Hypo Master - gave the best exchange rate for USD
Stockmann Master Card - could be as good or close
OP- Visa - pretty close
S-Pankki - absolutely the WORST by a significant amount - you know - that's the bank you own part of -- ha ha ha!!
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And that will hold true for any internet purchases you make!
Credit Cards - Non-Euro purchases
Re: Credit Cards - Non-Euro purchases
According to their FAQ, they use the Visa Europe exchange rates with a 1.95% conversion fee:harryc wrote:S-Pankki - absolutely the WORST by a significant amount - you know - that's the bank you own part of -- ha ha ha!!
https://www.s-pankki.fi/fi/asiakaspalve ... stion-3523
http://www.visaeurope.com/making-paymen ... ange-rates
znark
Re: Credit Cards - Non-Euro purchases
Yes - I've seen that - when I compared rates for same day purchases - say in New Mexico - it was surely the 2% but if I had access to actual rates, I would think it even more. And there were significant differences with even OP-Visa.
I used cc's pretty much exclusively over an 11,000 km car trip - and have lists of charges as long as your arm. Hypo even coughed up rates of 85 - and S-Pankki even showed 92 - no - not on the same day - but as am in business, I follow rates on a daily basis - and there was not that kind of volatility during those 3 weeks in August and September.
In any case - from now on I will be sure to use S-card for EURO ONLY - including net purchases - Amazon UK etc.
S-Bank makes big noise about being everyone's bank etc. Their letter to me about this says rthey have a legal right to charge what they want. Yes - they do. And I have the right to choose to use their services when it is to my advantage.
In any case, I was glad that I primarily used the Hypo card - and S for only some 70-80$. S does have a 'plus' in that if you need to do purchases on real credit - their interest rates are lower - but it's advisable to use that credit for Euro purchases.
I used cc's pretty much exclusively over an 11,000 km car trip - and have lists of charges as long as your arm. Hypo even coughed up rates of 85 - and S-Pankki even showed 92 - no - not on the same day - but as am in business, I follow rates on a daily basis - and there was not that kind of volatility during those 3 weeks in August and September.
In any case - from now on I will be sure to use S-card for EURO ONLY - including net purchases - Amazon UK etc.
S-Bank makes big noise about being everyone's bank etc. Their letter to me about this says rthey have a legal right to charge what they want. Yes - they do. And I have the right to choose to use their services when it is to my advantage.
In any case, I was glad that I primarily used the Hypo card - and S for only some 70-80$. S does have a 'plus' in that if you need to do purchases on real credit - their interest rates are lower - but it's advisable to use that credit for Euro purchases.
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Karhunkoski
- Posts: 7034
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2006 1:44 pm
- Location: Keski-Suomi
Re: Credit Cards - Non-Euro purchases
Yup, and a big noise about their supposed co-operative, where they hand back a few crumbs to "members". I'm surprised that you're suprised TBH.harryc wrote: S-Bank makes big noise about being everyone's bank etc.
Political correctness is the belief that it's possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Re: Credit Cards - Non-Euro purchases
Here's a message from my Cynics Central Inc. --
NOT surprised at all overall - but didn't think it would be so transparent by just looking at your credit card bill -- and that they arrogantly assume one doesn't have another cc to compare with! (the Cynics Central dept. is wondering here why the cc companies have not already 'Back roomed' price collaboration).
S-Bonus is crap. (as are all the other 'bonus' systems - they all advertise 5% and the usual payoff is 1-2%).
But S wins the crap prize by not carrying over one month's purchases to the next if you didn't buy enough to get anything that month - K is at least cumulative)
Probably the biggest surprise was their letter which basically said to go take a flying leap!!
NOT surprised at all overall - but didn't think it would be so transparent by just looking at your credit card bill -- and that they arrogantly assume one doesn't have another cc to compare with! (the Cynics Central dept. is wondering here why the cc companies have not already 'Back roomed' price collaboration).
S-Bonus is crap. (as are all the other 'bonus' systems - they all advertise 5% and the usual payoff is 1-2%).
But S wins the crap prize by not carrying over one month's purchases to the next if you didn't buy enough to get anything that month - K is at least cumulative)
Probably the biggest surprise was their letter which basically said to go take a flying leap!!