Night 'n Day store, Ferry Road, Christchurch. Photo: maja
By next May surcharges on purchases made with debit and credit cards or digital wallets will be banned. The government says it will give customers transparency on the cost of goods and save them up to $150 million a year.
Some retailers warn they will still face some charges from payment companies for accepting cards, and those costs will probably be added to the prices paid for goods. Matthew Lane is the General Manager of the convenience store chain Night 'n Day which has 54 stores mostly in the South Island. Night 'n Day has never passed on surcharges to customers, preferring clarity for customers.
But he says the surcharge ban could see other smaller retailers shift away from contactless payments and revert to 'old school' EFTPOS which doesn't cost merchants.
