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Credit card fees to be scrapped. Impact on BA?

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Credit card fees to be scrapped. Impact on BA?

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Old Jul 19, 2017, 6:38 am
  #31  
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Originally Posted by flatlander
A minor typo, did you mean "The vast majority of large corporations do not surcharge..."?.
I did indeed, I'll amend that now ^
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 6:41 am
  #32  
 
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Reading this.... EU directive for MC and VISA is this already in place and therefore applicable? if so since when? or is it just that the UK is coming into line with the EU directive on 1st Jan?
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 6:43 am
  #33  
 
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It will just be an excuse to raise prices across the board by 5%.

In the US, to get around this rule, companies will offer a discount for paying with cash or debit, but I assume the UK and EU are a bit more strict in their regulations to prevent that practice.

Also for those saying they might switch to accept cash only which is not going to happen, I'm pretty sure the EU does not allow cash to be used for payments over a certain amount (anti-money laundering regulations).

Or BA could always add a fraud insurance surcharge to all tickets...
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 6:45 am
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by flatlander
if the merchant cannot pass on the card handling charges to the customer and instead has to absorb them, giving them more incentive to try to force down the card handling charges?
They absolutely can still pass on the costs incurred in card handling, they just have to do so as part of the headline fare. Which is exactly what will happen.

If BA could reduce their card handling fees they would have done so already and pocketed the cash as it'll be a serious amount of money for a business their size.

It'll make the total price more transparent, not cheaper.
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 6:46 am
  #35  
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Don't worry. Theresa May or whichever Tory is in power on March 29, 2019, will bring these rip-off charges back as the first post-Brexit act of reclaiming sovereignty. (The DVLA earns £8.5m in credit card surcharges per annum)

How dare Brussels stand up for the British consumer!
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 6:52 am
  #36  
 
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On the TV at least, in the business segment of BBC News Channel at 13:44 today they said that, "...the government will ban businesses from charging customers extra for paying by card, but they can pass on the processing fee..."

That would mean that BA and everyone else can add the actual cost to them of processing the transaction, but not rounding it up or making it a fixed fee.

Would that encourage them to scrap the capped amount currently in place for those who might be making some very expensive purchases?
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 6:56 am
  #37  
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Originally Posted by irishguy28
Don't worry. Theresa May or whichever Tory is in power on March 29, 2019, will bring these rip-off charges back as the first post-Brexit act of reclaiming sovereignty. (The DVLA earns £8.5m in credit card surcharges per annum)

How dare Brussels stand up for the British consumer!
The UK has gone over and above that required by the EU Directive. This rule is here to stay post-Brexit.
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 6:58 am
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by irishguy28
Don't worry. Theresa May or whichever Tory is in power on March 29, 2019, will bring these rip-off charges back as the first post-Brexit act of reclaiming sovereignty. (The DVLA earns £8.5m in credit card surcharges per annum)

How dare Brussels stand up for the British consumer!
That would make more sense if they hadn't gone beyond the EU position which only covered Visa and MC fees and chose to include AMEX and Paypal etc as well.

I'm not convinced it's actually a significant consumer benefit really, payment processing costs money and customers will be paying for it somehow but I guess it makes fare comparison slightly easier..
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 7:02 am
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by SWISSBOBBY
Reading this.... EU directive for MC and VISA is this already in place and therefore applicable? if so since when? or is it just that the UK is coming into line with the EU directive on 1st Jan?
EU Regulations have direct effect, but EU Directives don't (although the CJEU has gone a bit wild in its interpretation of that). So in theory, Directives are basically a set of instructions for Member States to create implementating legislation in their domestic law. This Directive (2015/2366) was passed in November 2015, with an implementation deadline of 13 January 2018. So it's not applicable for Visa or MC at the moment either, but when the UK government brings the implementing legislation into force, it will apply to Visa, MC, Amex and PayPal simultaneously.
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 7:14 am
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by Raffles
Is there really anyone on FT who pays the BA credit card fee ......?!
Er, yes. As a UK resident I'm not sure how I can avoid it (legally, anyway).
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 7:15 am
  #41  
 
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@ Deltus

Thank you for making that clear.
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 8:01 am
  #42  
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Originally Posted by apollo00
They absolutely can still pass on the costs incurred in card handling, they just have to do so as part of the headline fare. Which is exactly what will happen.
I'm skeptical of this and even more skeptical of the idea that credit cards will no longer be usable on flights.

Revenue management doesn't calculate fares on some kind of cost+ basis - it's done on what they think they can get away with charging. Assorted fees are on top, which is why they're so attractive to firms like BA trying to maximize profit. If something like credit card fees are banned, there is a high likelihood most of that will hit BA's profits until/ unless they come with another spurious charge.
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 8:39 am
  #43  
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I think most credit cards will have new annual fees come onto them if you still want to earn miles, just like in the US. And most airlines will just put the cost into the ticket prices.
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 8:45 am
  #44  
 
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Coming late to this, but what really grinds my gears is BA attempting to charge the credit card fee on their own credit cards.

Why they didn't just say "credit card surcharge of X% unless paying with a BA-Amex" (or whatever) is beyond me.

A bit late now, but that would've been great marketing for them.
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Old Jul 19, 2017, 9:12 am
  #45  
 
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How short memories are for those in government. It was a Conservative government that re-introduced the ability to offer a discount for cash (or charge for credit cards if you like) as it distorted the market.

Now a Conservative government effectively abolishes that so credit card merchant fees get incorporated in every transaction. Can't even blame the EU - wouldn't affect Âmex otherwise.

As usual pathetic pandering to idiots and tabloids who don't have a clue. Does anyone really believe they will gain by this?
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