Goodbye Additional Charges – Paying By Card Set To Become Cheaper

Paying by card has always been oh-so-handy, until the additional charges kick in and you're left wondering why on earth you don't just pay for things with cash instead.

However, thanks to a new European Union directive, additional charges are now a thing of the past.

According to RTÉ, a revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) was put in place this weekend on Saturday 13 January.

The new system means that when shopping either online or in a store an additional charge cannot be applied to debit or credit cards.

PSD2 will also introduce a 'no questions asked' refund rights for direct debit payments in euro.

Vice-President for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union at the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, said that banning surcharges on credit and debit cards could save up to €550 million per year.

He said: "It will promote the development of innovative online and mobile payments, which will benefit the economy and growth."

"We are banning surcharges for consumer debit and credit card payments. This could save more than €550m per year for EU consumers."

He added: "Consumers will also be better protected when they make payments."

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