One week till 18 march - end of excessive credit card fees?

[ComeFlyWithMe]

this is solely about QF and their excessive fees charging $7.70 for a $79 fare.

I agree with you, just saying these changes have larger implications. The current arrangement is robbery.

 

[DeKa]

Yes I know all of that! But there are hotels, taxis etc etc etc.... And other airlines!

Hotel surcharges are easy to avoid and still earn points. In starting to sound like a broken record, but XS is the answer (getting it down to around 0.5% 'fee')

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

Hotel surcharges are easy to avoid and still earn points. In starting to sound like a broken record, but XS is the answer (getting it down to around 0.5% 'fee')

Are you referring to the Westfield card? If so, it's not much use unless accepted.

 

[drron]

Hotel surcharges are easy to avoid and still earn points. In starting to sound like a broken record, but XS is the answer (getting it down to around 0.5% 'fee')

I have a fool proof method-travel OS.:shock:

 

[Austman]

Are you referring to the Westfield card? If so, it's not much use unless accepted.

...and has a service fee when you buy it and has a delivery fee... Let's stick to standard credit card fees for this debate?

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

...and has a service fee when you buy it and has a delivery fee... Let's stick to standard credit card fees for this debate?

Agreed. Perhaps someone is commercially involved with this product?

 

[Ben174]

Does this mean Paying tax on credit card should see amex fee drop from the 1.48% now? Surely ATO would be considered a big merchant and 1% is more reasonable? lol

 

[DeKa]

Are you referring to the Westfield card? If so, it's not much use unless accepted.

Yes, and hotels accept it.

 

[Mal]

I have a fool proof method-travel OS.:shock:

Hotel surcharges exist overseas too ... In the UK, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza (at least some hotels) surcharge 3.50 pounds for use of an Amex. And then, some stores surcharge Amex too, although generally the deal is "minimum purchase X pounds, no surcharge, less than X, Y surcharge).

 

[Hvr]

[h=1]Companies will flout credit card reforms[/h]
Under the Reserve Bank of Australia reforms which come into effect Monday, retailers will be restricted by credit card companies to pass on surcharges to customers that reflect the true cost of providing the service.


On average, this is less than one per cent for Visa and MasterCard and about two per cent for American Express and Diners Club.
However, CHOICE Head of Campaigns Matt Levey says some companies, including Cabcharge – which has a 10 per cent surcharge for credit card payments – and Australia's domestic airlines are attempting to "sneak around" the rules by disguising their surcharges as booking fees or fees for financial services.



Mr Levey says in the absence of a regulatory agency to oversee the new rules, the reforms are open to breaches and continued price-gouging.

Read more: Companies will flout credit card reforms
​

Looks like The Age shares our cynicism.

 

[oz_mark]

On the plus side, Visa have published a few things on surcharging, including an email address for lodging complaints about excessive surcharging:

Visa Australia | Personal | Surcharging

If you believe a retailer is charging an unreasonable surcharge, you can provide feedback to Visa and we can work with the merchant’s financial institution to investigate. You can do this by emailing us at [email protected] with the name and location of the retailer, and the surcharge being applied to your Visa card payment.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I am sure qantas will do the right thing. A first class pax paying $16K to London isn't even going to notice the $160 surcharge for their 1%. Time for coach pax to stop the subsidy.

 

[drewbles]

1% for big merchants maybe, small businesses like mine get slugged 2%+ for visa/MC and 3.5%+ for Amex, so will have a competitive disadvantage.

If you're on 2%+ you need to change banks.

I setup an ISP in 1999 and back then, even though it was not online, they classed as 'online transaction processing' as we were an Internet provider (stupid banks). I got 1.5% without trying very hard.

But I digress...

 

[drewbles]

Hotel surcharges exist overseas too ... In the UK, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza (at least some hotels) surcharge 3.50 pounds for use of an Amex. And then, some stores surcharge Amex too, although generally the deal is "minimum purchase X pounds, no surcharge, less than X, Y surcharge).

Yup. I'm staying at the Andaz this w/end and it's 1.5%. I pre-paid online, and guess what? No surcharge.

It's an absolute rip-off. I have frequently question 'hotel managers' about why the coughk they don't just up the room charges by 1.5% and be done with it (and it makes it better for them, as they then make the extra for anyone who pays cash or EFT). Actually, it's been proven that these days cash handling is more expensive than CC due to accounting and risk (of moving it around) so they should actually offer a discount for paying with card.

They should call it what it is. A 'fee for the sake of us taking more money off you - fee'.