Agents urged to sign petition over new card fee rules
The Travel Network Group is launching a petition to put pressure on the Government to scrap new rules on credit card fees.
From January 13, new legislation comes into force which will prevent agents from passing on card fees to their customers, which the trade says will ultimately push up the price of holidays.
TTNG is urging its members to sign the petition, which calls on the Government to keep credit card charges in place.
The petition says: "The travel industry is a high volume, low margin business. Please help to keep the cost of holidays down and not penalise those consumers who choose not to pay with a credit cards."
If the petition gets 100,00 signatures, it will be considered for a debate in Parliament. It will be live in the next few weeks.
TTNG said it also been talking to its business partners to see if they would be wiling to increase commission levels to help limit the impact on its members’ bottom lines.
"We got mixed feedback," Vim Vithaldas, group finance and commercial director, told delegates at this week’s TTNG Conference in Monaco.
"A handful have come to the party, some have said they would love to be able to do it but economics means it’s not possible, and the vast majority are still sitting on the fence and looking to see what competitors are doing."
In the meantime, he urged members to negotiate with merchant acquirers to reduce card charges, which can be as high as 2%.
He said TTNG was unable to negotiate on behalf of the group because rates aren’t just based on volume. Instead they depend on multiple factors, such as whether bookings are face to face or over the phone, and the destination.
"But I urge you to call up the merchant acquirers and negotiate with them. Other members have already managed to negotiate lower rates," he said.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent