Rules passed by the EU under the Payment Services Directive (PSD2, Directive 2015/2366/EU) have come into force. The new rules will continue to apply when the UK leaves the EU.
The new rules are about more than credit card charges they will:
- Prohibit surcharging, which are additional charges for payments with consumer credit or debit cards, both in shops or online
- Open the EU payment market to companies offering payment services, based on them gaining access to information about the payment account
- Introduce strict security requirements for electronic payments and for the protection of consumers’ financial data
- Enhance consumers’ rights in numerous areas. These include reducing the liability for non-authorised payments and introducing an unconditional (“no questions asked”) refund right for direct debits in euro.
It is thought this will “save more than €550 million per year for EU consumers. Consumers will also be better protected when they make payments.” Valdis Dombrovskis
The ban extends to any plastic payment and to PayPal, ApplePay and other electronic payment systems. It applies to all EU countries and also Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein
According to Paul Lewis Money “
The law is clear but unfortunately how it will be enforced is not. Enforcement is principally in the hands of the local Trading Standards Office. But the Trading Standards Institute has told Radio 4’s Money Box programme “it is unlikely to be a priority for any local Trading Standards.”
More information can be found here: Guidance, THE CONSUMER RIGHTS (PAYMENT SURCHARGES) REGULATIONS 2012