ATIO threatens to raise card payment fees
AITO members are threatening to raise fees for customers paying by credit card just as the Government is preparing to clamp down on businesses profiteering from excessive charges.
The Association says it may be forced to charge customers more for paying by plastic because banks have raised their merchant fees for certain premium cards.
AITO chairman Derek Moore said banks charged up to 1% above the usual 1.5% to 2% transaction fee for certain cards, such as those that offer cash back, free travel insurance and other benefits.
As members have no way of knowing which cards incur the higher fees, he said they might have to raise credit card charges for all customers.
"We hate having to consider increasing costs to all credit card users but without any way of identifying the cards that will attract such punitive charges from the banks’ merchant acquirers we simply have no choice."
Moore said the higher fees, which he claimed banks had introduced without notification, were costing members an extra £600,000 a year.
He said the first step for AITO would be a letter to the Office of Fair Trading requesting urgent legislation to prevent banks being able to charge "arbitrary amounts" without prior notice. "We seek, quite simply, transparency as far as all credit card transactions are concerned," he added.
Consumer affairs minister Norman Lamb announced earlier this week that companies will no longer be able to make a profit from card payments and charges for credit and debit card payments will have to be clearly displayed under new rules, which are expected to be introduced early next year.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt