Google Play fx rates

[damole]

When I look at apps in the Play Store in Baht they are significantly cheaper than in Pounds. The Talking Thai <> Eng is 814.30 THB but on my phone which has my Google account it shows as 16.47 GBP, that's an effective rate of 49.4. If I use the current mastercard rate of 53.05 it converts to 15.36 GBP.

As there are quite a few apps I'd like to buy the paid for versions of right now I'd like to know if there is a way to pay in Baht and have my card issuer do the foreign exchange?

[Pib]

Assuming you pay with a farang debit/credit card you will get the Visa/Mastercard exchange rate (adjusted for any foreign transaction fees your card-issuing bank may apply).

And using your own example, if you would pay in baht (i.e., no money exchange required) you would be getting a lower equivalent exchange rate (49.4) than the Mastercard rate (53.05)....so why would you want to pay in baht.

[damole]

I don't get the choice to pay in Baht because either my account or my Google wallet knows I'm from the UK. As soon as click buy, the price is converted to GBP at Google's lower rate.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ X using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Pib]

I don't get the choice to pay in Baht because either my account or my Google wallet knows I'm from the UK. As soon as click buy, the price is converted to GBP at Google's lower rate.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ X using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

As stated in Google Wallet Terms of Service they do not accomplish a currency exchange. The currency exchange is accomplished by whatever "funding source" you are using like your credit card linked to google wallet. And if your card has a foreign transaction fee (like many have a 1 to 3% fee) that fee effectively lowers the exchange rate of the Mastercard/Visa exchange rate....it's not google hitting you with the fee which makes it look like a lower exchange rate but your home country card/bank. See below regarding Google Wallet Terms of Service UK.

https://wallet.google.com/termsOfService?type=BUYER&gl=Uk

14. Service Fees; Foreign Exchange; Interest

14.1 GPL will not charge You a fee to use the Service. However, other taxes or costs imposed by third parties may apply to Your use of the Service. For example, You agree and understand that the financial institution or Carrier that issues Your Funding Instrument may charge You a fee in connection with the debiting or charging of the Funding Instrument resulting from the Funding Transaction. You should consult the terms and conditions governing Your Funding Instrument for more information about any such fees.

14.2 GPL will not perform any foreign currency exchange as part of the Service.

14.3 GPL will not charge you any interest in Your use of the Service.

[damole]

Maybe if I were to use Google Wallet to buy something from another site then Google Wallet would charge my card in the currency of the site and not my card currency but in the case of Google Play, up until I choose to pay the price is shown in Baht and then when I move forward to the payment confirmation screen the price is automatically converted in GBP.

Here are the apps I'd like to purchase, the prices from the Play Store and the prices Google Wallet will charge my card. Even the effective fx rates are not consistent so I don't know how they are calculated.

[Pib]

When I saw your second image showing how the prices varied so much when converted to pounds and how those converted prices were common prices like we are use to see in stores versus some odd price due to currency conversion, I knew foreign transaction bank/card fees affecting the exchange rate was probably not the reason. I figure it must be because the seller can set the App price in different currencies....and the price would vary from currency to currency....would all depend on what amount the seller wanted if sold in pounds or dollars or baht or ????.

Appears I was right based on the info in these two google support links below...I've also included a partial quote from the second link talking about how the seller can price in multiple currencies....pick his own price in pounds, dollars, baht, etc....I expect they do this to display to the customer a price tag/amount they are use to seeing, taking in account economic conditions in certain countries (i.e., how prices for identical items can vary greatly between countries), etc. And the fact you may initially see prices displayed in a foreign currency like baht depend on the country/IP location you are logging in from and your browser/website settings. And then you got the issue of your funding source being linked to UK funding sources which in the end sets you up to pay whatever UK pounds price the merchant has coded in.

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/138412?hl=en

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/1169947

Selling Apps in Multiple Currencies

Android developers in locations that support merchant registration can offer apps for sale in multiple currencies through Google Wallet Merchant Center. To sell your apps in additional currencies, you will need to set the price of the app in each country/currency.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Pib

[damole]

I tried adding my SCB "Hip Card" debit card to my payment method but received a message saying "there was a problem authorizing your card". I just opened a Kasikorn bank account yesterday and when they have some more debit cards in stock I will get mine and try again.