charging for using a debit card????

paulal_2

I recently purchased a trainticket online from trainline and was charged for using my debit card - has anyone else had a similar experience and can companies get away with doing this?? How else can you pay online?

Blacksheep1979

Well it does cost them to take payment via debit card...

hollydays

Airlines do it I think.

C_Ronaldo

Was there not a pop up message which said about them charging for using debit cards, it is allowed

moonrakerz

Don't use Trainline, use any of the Railway Companies. FGW site is pretty good.

uktim29

paulal wrote: »

can companies get away with doing this??

Basically get away with passing on a charge they get charged anyway, why not?

Why do you ask can they get away with passing on their costs?

Timmne

And why do people associate the word 'charge' with illegal practices?!

I agree with the trainline gripe though; they charge to buy tickets using every method - if there's no way around the charge then they should build it into their prices.

Just like a tux I hired a while back had a £5.50 insurance added onto it and so did my friend's. I told the girl I didn't want to buy the extra insurance and she told me I had to - makes it a little pointless charging extra for things that they should be costing for anyway.

mute_posting

Timmne wrote: »

And why do people associate the word 'charge' with illegal practices?!

I agree with the trainline gripe though; they charge to buy tickets using every method - if there's no way around the charge then they should build it into their prices.

Whilst I have the same gripe, I suppose it isn't included in the price because you only pay one charge per transaction, but there may be multiple tickets included (i.e. buying for 2 journeys, or for 2 people).

What gets me are "per person booking fees" and the like on airline and concert/event tickets.

MP

RadoJo

Also, there has been increased pressure on anywhere selling tickets which can be purhcased elsewhere (eg at the station) to show what they are charging - I think it would be more annoying to be charged extra without even knowing why. Adding it in to the total without showing that it was a charge for payment method is more deceptive - at least if you know you're being charged you can choose to go to another site or buy them direct from the station, whereas if that just showed as the ticket price they are not giving you any opportunity to assess the price they are offering you on its own merits.

Similarly if you purchase tickets for a gig - I would rather know that they are going to charge me £3 for a 'booking fee' so that I can choose to go into the venue and buy them direct and save myself the money.

The tux situation is different though - in that situation they should build it into the price and tell you that it is inclusive of insurance, that way if it is more than you want to pay you can choose to rent elsewhere.

olly300

paulal wrote: »

I recently purchased a trainticket online from trainline and was charged for using my debit card - has anyone else had a similar experience and can companies get away with doing this?? How else can you pay online?

It's legal to charge for credit or debit card payments.
Debit card charges have to be a fixed amount as that's how the retailer gets charged. Credit card charges can be a percentage of the transaction as that's how the retailer is charged.

It is a con but then it's better then paying a booking fee charged by cinemas and theatre ticket agents when paying online.

dmg24

Timmne wrote: »

And why do people associate the word 'charge' with illegal practices?!

Because of a certain bank charges crusade?