While a merchant is entitled to set a minimum amount for payment by credit card, he is not entitled to charge you for a more expensive product if you choose this mode of payment.
A study by Panorabanques published in June 2022 pointed out that card payments remain the most widespread method of payment in France, ahead of cash. It is therefore not surprising to see people paying by bank card for all everyday purchases, even when the amount is small.
Faced with this, merchants have the right to set a minimum amount for card or check payments. It’s not rare to see a threshold of 10, 15 or even 20 euros to be able to pay by credit card. The Minister for the Economy also points out that merchants have the possibility of defining a minimum amount from which payment by bank card is accepted, but also of refusing certain bank cards.
No additional fees depending on payment method
On the other hand, can you pay more for the same product on the pretext that you want to pay by card? This is what happened Wilfrid, whose testimony is echoed by 60million consumers: I wanted to pay with my credit card. The waitress told me that, in this case, a surcharge of 0.30 was applied.
A procedure totally prohibited, since article L112-12 of the Monetary and Financial Code clearly states that the beneficiary cannot charge fees for the use of a payment instrument given. There is therefore no question of overcharging a product for the simple and good reason that the customer wishes to pay by card.
If the trader is stubborn, what to do? 60million consumers explains that it is possible to alert the agents of the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) by filing a report on the platform SignalConso or by phone at 0809540550.
Bank card: why some merchants still do not accept it