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Shops Won't Be Able To Charge Extra For Card Payments From Next Week

Shops Won't Be Able To Charge Extra For Card Payments From Next Week

The ban, which will come into place on Saturday 13 January, will stop UK stores from hurting shoppers who make a purchase using their card

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden

You know what's annoying? Going to the corner shop for some tinnies, then paying using your card... only to be charged extra for the privilege. The bloody cheek of it.

Thankfully this scourge of shop visits will be no more as of next Saturday when a UK ban on ripping off customers that pay by card kicks in.

The new rules, which come into place on Saturday 13 January, will stop retailers from adding a surcharge onto transactions where customers choose to pay by credit or debit card. Get in.

PA

The rules cover both in-store and online payments, and will also apply for other payment methods such as American Express, PayPal or Apple Pay.

The new ban will apply to any UK company selling to UK customers as well as local councils and government agencies, so the DVLA won't be able to rip you off either.

What's more, the law also follows an EU directive, so no matter where the retailer is based (well, provided they're in the EU), they won't be able to try to pull the same trick.

Under current rules, shops should technically only charge customers exactly what it costs them to process a debit/credit card payment.

In reality, though, tons of shops flout this, whether it's your favourite takeaway app or a global airline company you use to fly on holiday.

According to figures released by the UK Treasury, around £473 million ($641m) was spent on surcharges for debit and credit cards in 2016.

PA

You might see this news of the ban and think that it's a 100 percent win, but unfortunately there may be a downside to shops being told to sort it out.

Critics of the ban have claimed that it could lead to prices going up as businesses bump up costs to counter-balance losses the ban will cause them.

Andrew Hagger, a consumer finance expert at personal finance consultancy Moneycomms, said: "It's a good move, although long overdue, but there is the downside as this revenue that companies have been used to getting will disappear, so what do they do?

"They will likely look to recoup it elsewhere. I don't think they'll take it lying down, so it could mean an increase in the cost of services. It's a bit of a sting in the tail for the consumer."

In the meantime, though, you can look forward to paying for your pints on contactless for slightly less than you would right now. Not all bad, is it?

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, News, Finance