Bestway apology over credit card confusion

By David Shrimpton in Industry News 16th December 2021

Wholesaler Bestway has apologised to customers after signs in some of its cash and carries suggested retailers could be charged extra for using their credit cards to purchase stock.

Notices displayed in some branches stated: “Due to the recent cost increases on credit card charges, Bestway have taken a decision to introduce admin charges for the use of credit cards within the business.”

The scale of charges ran from £3 for transactions under £1,000 in value to £5 for anything between £1,001 and £5,000. Transactions over £5,000 were to attract a £5 fee.

Under legislation brought in from January 2018, vendors are no longer allowed to charge customers extra if they use a personal credit or debit card.

But customers can still be charged if they are using a corporate or business credit card.

Bestway said the signs should have made this clear.

Managing director Dawood Pervez said: “Our signage has been updated to reflect that this processing fee is limited to corporate and commercial cards only — we apologise for any confusion caused.”

One retailer, who asked not to be named, said: “I wasn’t charged but was going to be, so I didn’t use my personal credit card.

“It should have been made clear from the start.”

In November, Amazon said it would no longer accept Visa credit cards from customers in the UK due to “pretty egregious” price rises in its transaction fees.