This will help you save some money.
The post-Christmas period always sees two things happen. 1) We’re all depressed about going back to work. 2) We’re so broke that we would have to save up to be considered poor.
Well, if you frequently use your credit/debit card then we’ve got some good news for you. New rules will come into effect on 13 January 2018 which mean that consumers won’t be penalised for choosing to pay by card, either online or in-store. Basically, there’s no additional fee for both in-store and online payments, and this new policy will extend to American Express, Paypal and Apple Pay.
As reported by the Financial Times, companies made a £500m profit on surcharges in 2010.
Similarly, The Guardian cited the example of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. They currently add an additional fee of £2.50 to vehicle tax payments that are made by credit card. This extra charge accounted for an additional £8.5m a year in their coffers.
Regarding this change in policy, a government statement said: “Rip-off charges have no place in a modern Britain and that’s why card charging in Britain is about to come to an end. These small charges can really add up and this change will mean shoppers across the country have that bit of extra cash to spend on the things that matter to them.”
This change of policy is the result of an EU directive that relates to surcharges, but the UK is “going further.” The Treasury has also banned charges for holders of American Express cards and users of services such as PayPal and Apple Pay.
