Could shops soon start charging more if you don’t go contactless?

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As we all know, it costs to take money using cards as a retailer. The charges vary but they can be serious if you take not just the transaction fees charged into account, but also (in many cases) the monthly fees for the machines and other subs that exist from some processing firms, it can be a serious % of small transactions to process a card payment.

But now it seems that if you aren’t going to go contactless when you purchase something in a shop, that it could mean you pay a little more. This story tells of how someone was charged 10p extra because they didn’t go contactless.

Contactless apparently costs less to process than other card payments. And so, for those smaller in-store charges, contactless is more attractive to outlets. I already know several pubs and shops locally that prefer it for those sub £30 sales.

That said, even down my way, not so many places seem to take contactless although it is more ubiquitous in London. The neighbourhood Starbucks doesn’t take contactless and neither does my local boozer (although several other pubs do). And that’s academic really because I don’t have a contactless card. Do you?

It seems to me that if you’re offering something for sale that you should factor in the costs of taking payments into the whole price. Noone likes a a surcharge. And equally retailers should also be shopping around for the cheapest payment providers and they’re seldom the most obvious.

How do you feel about card surcharges? Are you happy to go contactless?

4 Responses

  1. if they want to shoot themselves in the foot…

    especially from this article, a Subway store. they really want to make that gamble every time?

    “oh you dont have contactless? that’ll cost extra”
    “no it wont”.
    “you can’t have the sandwich then”.
    “fine, throw it in the bin, i’ll go next door.”

    if they want to throw money away and annoy regular customers thats a fantastic approach.

  2. I use contactless / apple pay wherever I can, its easier and more convenient than chip/pin. Cash is king tho’
    As for charging for not using then I’d refuse on principle, I’m happy to take money anyway I can with my business, Charges are my responsibility not my customers.

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