Card payment surcharges banned

New rules have now come into force that prevent retailers from charging customers to use credit or debit cards in store and online.

From 13th January 2018 EU rules which prohibit businesses from charging customers more than the costs of offering card payments will go even further by banning surcharging completely, so retailers cannot charge customers any more than the price of the product, regardless of what payment method they use. Retailers can face punishment from local trading standards departments for charging customers for card transactions.

It will remain legal to have a minimum spend for card transactions (33% of retailers currently adopt this policy) or to not accept card payments at all. Admin or processing fees are also still permitted as long as they aren't related to card payments. For example, online takeaway company Just Eat has recently added a 50p surcharge to all orders - cash or card - to offset the costs of the new rules.

While card payments are now free for consumers, retailers will continue to pay card transaction fees from their payment providers. If you think you could be paying too much, why not challenge our Card Processing partners to lower your rates. Click here to find out more.

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