The strong dollar

If you're referring to the option when using a credit card of local currency vs the $, you are still better selecting "local currency" since you will get a better exchange rate from the credit card issuer. That hasn't changed.

The exchange rate (€/£) hasn’t fluctuated much in the past couple years. One of two cents variation isn’t going to cost or save you much especially since most transactions will be contactless. When using a credit card, always charge in the local currency. Nobody can guess what the future holds.

Thank you for responses. I thought the same but wanted to confirm.

You're always better off paying in the local currency and letting your credit card issuer perform the conversion.
You never want to accept "dynamic currency conversion".

In January, I had a rather large bill of 2117 CHF to pay by credit card. Payment site gave me the option of paying in USD $2445, or pay in CHF. I chose CHF, and when I checked my credit card, I had paid USD $2330. So that choice saved me $115.

That 5% mark-up for letting them convert was possibly even cheap. I do not see any reason to ever enrich the banks for their vulture fees. No mayor how good the actual exchange rate is that moment you will always be paying more when you let them provide you this convenience.

Yea, sure Larry. Life should be free.

But on the subject of strong dollar, yes, it's a little better right now against the euro than it was a year ago, but not as strong as it has been at one moment or another in the last 3 years.

Where the dollar is doing much better is against a number of the non-euro European currencies. The dollar has gained more than 10% against a some of them. Still, you don't change your conversion philosophy, you just enjoy a slightly better .... or less expensive .... holiday.

Yo, E - As long aș people are willing to blindly pay the fees the system will not change. DCC is not a reasonable fee for a service, it is a dishonest attempt to make money playing on human fear, emotion, and ignorance. I am waiting to see the first time a DCC tells you that to pay the 100 Euro charge today in dollars it will cost you $110, while if you don't it will only cost you $105 -rather than "we can't guarantee what it will cost."

It is exactly because the $ is strong, ie, just about at parity with the Euro, $1.03 or $1.04 that I change a large amount into Euro, ie in excess of two thousand.

Using cash in a couple of my hotels in France gives me a discount on the room rate plus the Euro cash will come in handy paying for meals in Germany and Austria on the trip this summer.

Google for a 5 year graph of the US vs Euro exchange rate and you might agree speculating on the exchange rates doesn't pay off.

I wish I could "Like" Larry's second post.