• Linkdin

Credit card company fears commission move

16 Jan '07
2 min read

The European arm of the world's largest credit-card company has said banning transaction charges would harm consumers and destroy a European Union revamp of payment systems.

Visa Europe is seeking to sway Neelie Kroes – the EU competition commissioner - who will present the final result of her investigation into the payment-card industry on 31 January.

Peter Ayliffe – the head of Visa Europe - told journalists in Brussels on Monday (15 January) that he fears Europeans will stop using payment cards unless the European Commission lets card companies keep setting the rates banks charge for credit-card transactions.

The credit-card companies do not get any money from the fees, but can use their ability to set the fees to influence banks to distribute their particular card to bank customers.

But retailers have complained that the fees are too high and unclear, which led to the commission launching the investigation in June 2005.

The retailer's bank pays the card issuer's bank an "interchange" fee - a percentage of each purchase - to process card-based transactions.

The commission already in 2002 forced Visa, in a settlement that expires this year, to revise the way it sets the fees and questioned the need for the interchange fees in an interim finding last April.

Back then, Ms Kroes expressed concern about a lack of competition in the sector and "scandalous" profits earned on payments cards. "You cannot runa payment system without some level of interchange," Mr. Ayliffe said, according to Bloomberg.

Leave your Comments

Esteemed Clients

TÜYAP IHTISAS FUARLARI A.S.
Tradewind International Servicing
Thermore (Far East) Ltd.
The LYCRA Company Singapore  Pte. Ltd
Thai Trade Center
Thai Acrylic Fibre Company Limited
TEXVALLEY MARKET LIMITED
TESTEX AG, Swiss Textile Testing Institute
Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSllC Ltd)
Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)
SUZHOU TUE HI-TECH NONWOVEN MACHINERY CO.,LTD
Stahl Holdings B.V.,
Advanced Search