Welcome to the Community @BanSurchargesonCards
I moved your post into this existing topic about surcharges. You are not alone in your distaste but some observers have alternative views. I am like-minded with yourself but I have to admit:
- somebody needs to fund the payments system. Traditionally ‘dividends are important’ in Australia (I am sure you understand what I mean) and consumers often less so.
- Prices in the USA are considered to be about 5% higher than they should be because as in the EU, surcharging is just ‘not done’ so the costs are rolled into the prices.
- Your friend using his travel card with $AUD paid the exchange rate, and most of our financial institutions charge 3% for transactions billed in a foreign currency, or transacted off-shore. A handy cash cow. There are a small number of options that do not have that charge available to Australians.
As you are aware there are supposed to be signs about surcharges but they are almost as rare as a sighted drop bear, and getting more so. While we have ‘rules and regulations’ about many things we lack ‘proactive enforcement’ until there is a formal complaint lodged, and then it is usually case by case not addressing the underlying problem.
With the Pacific Peso (as the Aussie is often called) being around $USD0.64 I suspect those from 1st world countries would see it mostly as a curiosity even while suspecting they may be getting ripped off. As for the staff, that is a training problem on each business - not posted and not conveyed and not enforced.
There is another related topic you may have noticed that also discusses aspects.
and a few others on the Community, many with links to Choice articles, discoverable using the Community search tool, and often Google will return them.
