BP outlets levy customers for credit-card use

At least one Auckland service station has started charging customers wanting to pay for their purchases by credit card.

The independently owned BP 2Go on Mt Wellington Highway is adding a surcharge to all purchases made with credit cards in an attempt to recover the costs of accepting them from customers.

Last night, One News reported a group of five independently owned BP stations in Wellington were charging a fee for each credit card transaction, meaning customers were paying an extra 60c for purchases under $30 and 90c for every transaction over $30.

Credit card companies charge retailers a transaction fee and until recently businesses were not allowed to pass the cost on to customers.

But in August last year, the Commerce Commission came to an agreement with Visa and Mastercard that allowed retailers to add a surcharge on to each credit card transaction.

While petrol stations are allowed to add the cost, they must tell customers before they fill up.

BP's independent stations are believed to be the first businesses to take advantage of being able to put a surcharge on credit card usage.