Customers should be vigilant about the extra costs incurred by the touch-and-pay approach. (photo No. 9)
More and more Australians are choosing to pay on a touch-as-you-go basis when they make daily purchases, but consumer protection groups warn people to be vigilant about the extra costs of using such payments, according to a report on Radio 9.
It is reported that the Australian Competition and Consumer Council (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, hereinafter referred to as ACCC) said in a statement that the use of debit cards for the purchase of the bill, whether through a touch-and-pay or plug-in mode, It is possible that a service fee similar to that of a credit card will be incurred.
Prior to this, Victoria customer Harvey (Barry Harvey) noticed that he was charged for card-swiping services when he bought groceries at Aldi, so revealing to the local media prompted the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (Australian Securities and Investment Commission) to open an investigation. And ultimately asked Aldi to take better measures to inform the customer.
Customers should be vigilant about the extra costs incurred by the touch-and-pay approach. (photo No. 9)
So far, Aldi has made it clear to consumers that it will be charged 0.5 percent for services by card swipe. Aldi said on its website that the company would charge customers for services rather than cover them by raising the price of goods. This will give customers the freedom to choose lower-cost payment methods.
Australian companies need to bear the cost of providing card-swiping facilities on their own. Australian companies are expected to spend an estimated A $558 million a year on credit card or debit card swiping services, according to a report by McLean Roche, a consultancy.
ACCC Vice Chairman (Michael Schaper) Schapel said Australian companies are free to charge customers a touch-and-a-touch service, but not more than the cost of providing the service. If the enterprise chooses not to charge this service charge, it is also possible to raise the price of its goods in disguise.
The fee is modest, he said, with EFTPOS charging only 0.5 percent, debit cards about 1 percent, and credit cards about 1 percent to 2 percent. Consumers can call the agency if they find that they charge more than that and cannot give a reasonable explanation.
Customers should be vigilant about the extra cost of paying by card. (photo No. 9)