Happened to everyone. Take your credit card or debit card to pay for the purchase of the day and the shopkeeper in question is sulking, or outright rejected. He asks me to pay hard cash in euros. The reason is called commission, which financial institutions charge their merchants for each transaction with plastic money in the last quarter was an average of 0.83% of each sale. In a ticket for 100 euros, for example, would be 83 cents. But it is an average: The maximum (1.59%) is paid in massages, saunas and nightclubs, and the lowest is in food shops (0.49%), according to the Bank of Spain.

Starting in January, if traders want, the grimace of annoyance may be drawn on the client side because stores may be a charge by the card, as Payments Act passed a few days ago by the Congress of Deputies, and that transposing a European directive of 2007.

Sources from the area of Competition of the European Commission considered that to allow the surcharge is positive because it enhances transparency for consumers. " It also criticizes that "these costs are always paid late by customers and generally do not see that they are doing" as well if the dealer has more costs for the cards, they impose "a hidden cost on other consumers."

The secretary general of the Spanish Confederation of Commerce, Miguel Angel Fraile, he hastens to clarify that "the Spanish life will not change at all, no merchant is raised to apply any additional cost to customers, particularly in this context crisis in which consumption falls. But does it always happen? And in all sectors? Fraile is possible that those businesses with narrow profit margins and fixed prices, ie, tobacconists, newsagents, or stations, may apply.

The management of large areas, ANGED, not wet and is limited to positive values "that are the establishments who can manage the payments as they see fit and commissions or discounts apply.

Consumers are worried. "We have to see what happens in the future. What if one day they agree to implement all hyper? We believe that this is forbidden because it is an unfair term cost impact to the consumer's own employer, and this is," is complaint Ruben Sanchez, a spokesman for FACUA.

Behind an old battle being waged between banking and commerce on account of a charge of the latter is unfair, but have fallen by nearly half since 2005. Entities also are charged a fee when including bank card and trade are different.

The practice of charging the customer for card purchases was not explicitly prohibited by law. The National Consumers' Institute says that "any advertised price must be the end, no surprises consumer can now afford to. Even now. Yes you can apply discounts to who pays in cash." The cost to the customer may vary depending on which bank charges the merchant discount rate call-and in no case exceed that percentage. In fact, so trade can charge the customer is the difference between the cost of the bank rate for the card and what it costs to handle the cash. It is difficult to estimate, but industry sources put the card in a 0.9%

The shops have not implemented this charge because they had signed contracts with financial institutions used to include a clause that forbade it. The new law prevents those pacts carry such a clause, known as a no surcharge rule in the world of the card. This gives legal cover to a practice that was already out in some businesses, like airlines that sell tickets online and apply surcharges to pay two euros for the card. The Consumer Agency of Catalonia, for example, has records to 13 airlines on the grounds that they must announce the final price and that there is "discrimination on the payment system.

Banking is contrary to the provision of the new Spanish rule. It can produce the opposite effect sought by the law "when used to penalize the electronic payment card and thus is encouraged greater use of cash," explained from the Spanish Banking Association.

The payment media company Servired goes further and criticizes a law "encourages" the use of money "black" because cash transactions are more difficult to control, besides that the measure can lead to an increase in prices for citizens. You can also retract the use of card in Spain, which is much lower than its European neighbors, according to a report by consultancy KPMG.

Other European countries are also adapting to the policy and deciding what to do with the famous mark. So far, very few countries where applicable. In the United Kingdom was possible but not done.

"There has been a significant effort in reducing rates in recent years that has to be assessed," said Santiago Carbo, professor of Economics at the University of Granada and researcher FUNCAS. "You have to appreciate the value itself posed to the trade and sales of the existence of plastic money," says Carbo.

Traders believe may negotiate with more pressure. "Because the customer may decide not to shop at a store but you can also decide to pay cash," says Friar. With the crisis, the use of credit cards has fallen for the first time in 55 years since the plastic money circulating in Spain.

Points of discussion

- The European directive Payment Service says member states can not prohibit the surcharge fee for using this card, unless you want to promote the efficient use of some means. Spain has reserved this power.

- The trade rates have declined since 2005 following an agreement between banking and commerce, from an average of 1.52% to 0.88% in 2008, although it is unclear which has affected prices.

- What could be applied is the rate of exchange, which is that financial institutions charge each other. The fear is that business is loaded with narrow margins, as tobacconists, newsagents and petrol stations. Servired believed to favor the use of black money boosts ticket.

The Country 08/11/2009