[ic] Credit card surcharges in the UK

Nick Maguire interchange-users@icdevgroup.org
Mon Sep 9 13:07:02 2002


Dan Browning wrote:

>I would be interested if you find that Merchant Agreements in the UK are
>different, let me know after you sober up (which, of course, will be
>necessary after subjecting yourself to such legalese).


OK Dan, I have the answer. According to my merchant agreement with Barclays
Bank (UK), I personally see no reason why a surcharge cannot be applied.

For those who would like to see the clause in full, here it is;

3	YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
3.1	Accepting Cards
You must accept all cards as payment
You must not set any minimum limit on card payment amounts.<!--My local
pizza delivery company breaks that clause :) >. Except for differences in
price, you must treat purchases by card in exactly the same way as cash
purchases. With some types of card you must charge the customer the sae
price as if he or she were paying cash. These cards are Visa Delta,
Electron, Switch, Solo and Maestro <!--All debit cards>. We will tell you if
this applies to any other types of card<!So far they say only debit cards>.
With other cards you may charge a different price. However, the difference
between the card price and the cash price must not be more than the amount
of the merchant service charge for the payment.<!--So I can charge them!>