Ministers are due to announce a ban on fees for electing to pay for items by debit or credit card, which is a huge victory for consumers.

 

Not so long ago it was rare to be charged these so-called ‘transaction’ fees for buying airline or concert tickets online. Nowadays, it’s difficult to purchase anything over the Internet without being faced with astronomical fees.

 

What’s even more infuriating is being charged per item, such as when buying four tickets.

 

The BBC quotes a spokesman for the UK Payments Association as saying, “The credit card costs are per transaction.

 

“If you are booking six tickets at once, or one ticket in one credit card booking, the processing costs would be the same: it’s hard to see how companies can charge per item.”

 

Indeed, it has become very difficult for them to justify the charges, which have been creeping up year on year. Frequently, the cost is several pounds and, in some cases, has out priced the item being bought. It’s not as if the consumer can choose a different method of payment other than a card, either.

 

Cavendish Elithorn, the senior director of the OFT’s goods and consumer group rather succinctly summed up the problem earlier this year. He said, “You can’t buy online with cash and people are frustrated about being asked to pay for paying.

Well done Which? Let’s just hope this doesn’t lead to a hike in prices for such items as airline tickets.

 

The ban is due to come into effect by the end of 2012.