Pay the advertised price?

TheCrow · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:22

Do companies need to provide a payment method that you can pay the advertised price?

i.e. They offer a product for £20, and you can only pay by debit or credit card. Both of these carry a fee (3% for cc, £1 for debit).

I know the airlines got pulled up with something along this line, but I cant find anything stating if this applies to other services/shops.

Gilly · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:24

I don't believe I've ever noticed a 'debit card charge'. A credit card, sure, but a debit? Seems weird.

Credit card, even with the additional cost, is sometimes worth it for the additional security.

Mynight · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:25

Theyre allowed to charge what it costs them but not to profit from it.

Whilst the cc fee is expensive its plausible the debit is way too high.

Unless theyve got a really bad company it should be much lower. My fees are 1.9% +10p and 22p iirc.

Normally included within the price though just suck it out of profits.

antijoke · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:26

Never seen a charge for debit card payments.

Greebo · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:29

I have. it's started to become a recent trend. Once retailer tried to charge 3% for debit card. I told them to stuff it.

Begbie · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:29

Charge for a debit card? No one would ever use one, if that happened consistently.

ADT · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:36

Never seen a charge before for using a debit card.

Greebo · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:36

Begbie said:
Charge for a debit card? No one would ever use one, if that happened consistently.

Like I said, some companies have started to try and get away with charging for debit cards and silly fees as well.

Which magazine is still running a campaign to get some companies to reduce excessive debit card charges such as eDreams, EasyBus, Vueling, Monarch, Jet2 and Germanwings

Scania · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:41

Local convenience store charges 40p for all card transactions under £10, I've seen this many times before normally in similar such stores.

Craig321 · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:44

Never been charged for debit card and very rarely get charged on credit. I think the last time I got charged using my credit card was buying a flight a few years ago.

Greebo · 30 Nov 2015 at 14:57

Scania said:
Local convenience store charges 40p for all card transactions under £10, I've seen this many times before normally in similar such stores.

Even that's a ripoff. Should only be getting charged 8p themselves so 32p is pure profit.

TheCrow · 30 Nov 2015 at 15:00

Its very strange for debit and an online company. I have seen 50p charges in shops, but you always have the option of cash.

I can understand the % charge for CC's as thats what they could be getting charged. but never seen a flat rate on the debit with no other method of payment?

I just cant find anything to question the legality of it due to not having any method to only pay the asking price which feels wrong to me.

Cosimo · 30 Nov 2015 at 15:02

Been charged a few times on credit cards but never on debit cards. HMRC charge you for using a CC.

Greebo · 30 Nov 2015 at 15:02

TheCrow said:
Its very strange for debit and an online company. I have seen 50p charges in shops, but you always have the option of cash.

I can understand the % charge for CC's as thats what they could be getting charged. but never seen a flat rate on the debit with no other method of payment?

I just cant find anything to question the legality of it due to not having any method to only pay the asking price which feels wrong to me.

Maybe so. I suppose you could pay by bank transfer? But who would online as no protection.

Thing is from December the max a credit card company can charge a retailer is 0.3% and its 0.2% for debit cards. Therefore either both should be free and included in the price or both charged the same. Any company charging say 2.5% for credit from December is ripping you off jsut as much as as company who charged you for debit cards.

NexusK · 30 Nov 2015 at 15:11

The only place online i can remember being charged for paying by card is Just Eat.

peterwalkley · 30 Nov 2015 at 15:12

Vue cinemas are a bunch of swearies for this. You buy two cinema tickets and they charge you twice, even though its the same transaction.

Greebo · 30 Nov 2015 at 15:33

Cosimo said:
Been charged a few times on credit cards but never on debit cards. HMRC charge you for using a CC.

I wonder if from 1st of December HMRC reduces this since the max they will be getting charged will be 0.3%?

TechMinerUK · 30 Nov 2015 at 15:39

I too have seen this "Debit card Tax". I'm not sure if there is any reason for it and I'm not sure how businesses are getting away with it as there is no real reason for it other than to profiteer from the consumer.

Diddums · 30 Nov 2015 at 15:58

All my local off licences charge 50p to pay by card.

One even tried it on with £1.50, which obviously cost him a sale.

Dunks · 30 Nov 2015 at 16:09

Diddums said:
All my local off licences charge 50p to pay by card.

One even tried it on with £1.50, which obviously cost him a sale.

They probably get rinsed by their card machine provider due to the relatively low volume of transactions, and transactions under £xx.