If a merchant charges in USD from your home country, it's free.
If a merchant charges in USD from the U.S.A, it's free.
And if you made a purchase in USD from a merchant outside the U.S.A or your home country, you may notice a small additional amount.
That charge corresponds to an international processing fee set by the Visa network.
It is not a hidden charge. It is not a penalty.
UGLYCASH does not add any markup.
Visa may apply this fee when a USD transaction is processed outside the U.S. or outside your account’s registered country.
💰 How much does Visa charge?
The (non-U.S. & non-local USD) international processing cost is:
1% of the purchase amount + $0.20 USD
📌 Example:
If you make a $70.00 USD purchase:
1% = $0.70
$0.20 fixed cost
Total cost = $0.90
Total charged: $70.90
This charge is defined directly by Visa.
🔎 When does this charge apply?
This charge is only evaluated when the purchase is processed in USD... AND
That it's outside your home country (which is always free)
That it's USD outside the USA (and deemed international)
If the USD processing is considered international under these criteria, Visa may classify the transaction as cross-border and apply the fee.
📍 Examples
🟢 1. USD purchase with a local merchant (dollarized country)
Your account is registered in:
🇸🇻 El Salvador
🇪🇨 Ecuador
You make a $50 USD purchase at:
A supermarket
A restaurant
A local store
The merchant:
Charges in USD
Processes the payment within the same country
👉 No processing fee applies.
Because the transaction is in USD and processed within the same country where your account is registered.
What if I travel to another country that also uses USD?
If your account is registered in 🇬🇹 Guatemala
and you travel to 🇸🇻 El Salvador and make a USD purchase,
Even though El Salvador uses USD:
👉 A processing fee may apply.
Because the purchase occurred outside the country where your account is registered and the processing did not occur in the U.S.
🟢 2. USD purchase with a U.S. merchant (e.g. Amazon US)
Your account is registered in any Latin American country.
You make a purchase on Amazon.com (U.S.):
Price in USD
Processed in USD
Processing occurs in the United States
👉 No processing fee applies.
Even if your account is registered outside the U.S., the USD charge was processed within the United States.
🟡 3. USD purchase with a merchant outside the U.S.
Your account is registered in any Latin American country.
You make a $100 USD purchase on an international platform (for example, a digital service or online store based in Europe).
The price may be shown in USD or in your local currency
The final charge is processed in USD
The transaction is processed in the Netherlands (or any country outside the U.S.)
👉 A processing fee may apply.
Example:
1% = $1.00
$0.20 fixed fee
Total fee = $1.20
Total charged: $101.20
Because the transaction was processed in USD and the processing occurred outside the U.S. and outside the country where your account is registered.
🔴 4. Platform shows local currency but charges in USD (e.g., TikTok)
Account registered in Bolivia.
You are paying for a digital platform such as TikTok Ads.
The platform:
Shows prices in local currency (BOB)
But the final charge is processed in USD
And the transaction is processed in Singapore
👉 A processing fee may apply.
Visa evaluates:
The final processing currency (USD)
The country where the transaction was processed
It does not matter which currency is shown on the screen.
What matters is how the transaction is processed within the Visa network.
In summary
👉 If you purchase in USD and the charge is not processed in the United States, or not processed in the same country where your account is registered (in dollarized countries), a processing fee may apply.
Important
This charge:
Does not depend on your nationality.
Does not depend on the country where you are physically located.
Is not a manual decision by Ugly Cash.
It depends exclusively on how Visa classifies the country where the transaction is processed in relation to the country where your account is registered.
In the transaction details, you may see something like:
“Visa classifies it as cross-border. Set by Visa. No markup added.”
That confirms it is a fee defined directly by the Visa network.