Reviewed October 17, 2026. This operational guide replaces an earlier general overview. The original publication date and URL are retained.
A visiting customer’s currency choice and the merchant’s settlement arrangement are different questions. Keep amounts, currency codes and conversion evidence attached to the stage they describe.
Separate three currency fields
Record the currency in which the merchant prices the sale, the currency actually submitted for payment and the currency in which the provider settles the merchant. These can coincide, but do not assume they always do. A cardholder’s billing-currency display does not by itself establish the merchant’s settlement currency or the fee charged under the merchant agreement.
Preserve the customer’s conversion choice
Visa describes Dynamic Currency Conversion as an offer to convert a purchase into the cardholder’s home currency. Its guidance calls for disclosure of both amounts, the exchange rate and applicable additional fees or markup, with a choice the merchant must not make for the cardholder. Keep the approved provider workflow and evidence of that choice; do not describe conversion as mandatory or universally cheaper.
Label an illustrative two-currency receipt
Suppose a supported test displays a $100 USD purchase and an illustrative €92 conversion offer. Record the displayed rate as €0.92 per $1 USD, along with the provider’s required fee disclosures and the customer’s actual selection. These invented numbers are arithmetic examples, not a current exchange-rate quote. If the customer declines conversion, preserve the selected local-currency payment record rather than treating the displayed alternative as the charged amount.
Trace the merchant’s bank credit separately
Use the settlement report to identify the submitted transaction, currency, adjustments and resulting merchant deposit. Ask the provider which agreement governs any merchant-side conversion and how it is reported. Do not infer a $100 or €92 bank credit directly from the customer display without that trace. The finished record should explain each currency at each stage and distinguish payment expense, conversion terms and settlement timing.
Sources and related reading
Primary reference: Visa’s Dynamic Currency Conversion explanation. Worked examples are illustrative analysis, not client results or provider quotes.
Continue with the processing fee cash-calendar guide and the AMS Florida merchant reading path.
Use the merchant technology decision worksheet to record the expected output, responsible person and acceptance evidence.
