3.5% surcharge for paying by credit card

cherry76

The travel agent told me I have to pay the above fees if I pay my tickets with credit card approx. £75 which seems quite a lot to me. Tickets costs over £2000.I do not mind paying by debit card but my husband says debit card does not offer the same protection like credit card. Pl can anybody advice. I do not want to pay the extra fees. Thanks

shaun_from_Africa

Companies are allowed to charge for accepting credit cards but they can only charge what the credit card companies charge them.
Your hubby is correct in that when paying with a credit card you get far better protection than by paying with a debit card. (Do a google for "section 75 of the consumer credit act" for further information)
However, you don't have to pay the full amount on your credit card to be covered so if possible, your best bet is to pay a deposit on your credit card and the balance on your debit card.

cherry76

Thanks tickets comes nearly £3000. I do not think a company like Air Mauritius will go bust. I understand the protection is if the company went into administration even if I have bought the tickets from a travel agent.

Murphy_The_Cat

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Companies are allowed to charge for accepting credit cards but they can only charge what the credit card companies charge them.
.

Shaun, could you find a link for that legislation, as its something that I've never heard before:beer:

agrinnall

cherry76 wrote: »

Thanks tickets comes nearly £3000. I do not think a company like Air Mauritius will go bust. I understand the protection is if the company went into administration even if I have bought the tickets from a travel agent.

If you've paid the Travel agent for the tickets then your S75 protection is with them, not with Air Mauritius. However you pay, if AM happened to go bust it would be the responsibility of the TA to source replacement flights. But if the TA went bust before they delivered your tickets then S75 protection would allow you to claim against your CC issuer to get the tickets from elsewhere.

agrinnall

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

Shaun, could you find a link for that legislation, as its something that I've never heard before:beer:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-card-charges-begins

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consumer-protection-payment-surcharges-regulations-2012-guidance

Murphy_The_Cat

agrinnall wrote: »

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-card-charges-begins

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consumer-protection-payment-surcharges-regulations-2012-guidance

Thanks for that link agrinnall

its clearly not being enforced,as the credit charge fees that are being applied don't accurately reflect what thethe merchants are being charged (unless my small business has managed to secure rates that are 50% better than the likes of Opodo.

cherry76

TA very reputable, tickets will be electronic as soon as I pay in full. I am not concerned it is hubby who is making a fuss. Once I have got my tickets, I should not be concerned if the company goes bust. Am I right? Thanks

InsideInsurance

For S75 to apply just some of it must have been paid by credit, it doesnt need to be the whole bill. So you could pay £100 or less on credit card with a £3 fee and pay the rest by debit card and so no fee and still get full protection.

mgdavid

InsideInsurance wrote: »

For S75 to apply just some of it must have been paid by credit, it doesnt need to be the whole bill. So you could pay £100 or less on credit card with a £3 fee and pay the rest by debit card and so no fee and still get full protection.

which reinforces what's already been said in post #2 - OP did you read it?

pendragon_arther

Making a Section 75 claim

There are some limitations to when a card company is liable along with the retailer or trader. The item or service you bought must have cost over £100 and not more than £30,000.
However, to claim under Section 75 you don't have to have paid the full amount on your credit card – the card company is liable even if you made only part of the payment (a deposit, say) on your card.
It's the value of the goods you're buying that is key - not the amount paid on the card.


However, I wrongly thought the same protection applied to debit cards as I always pay by this method so maybe I should get a credit card now.