Despite the ban on passing on additional costs for PIN, MasterCard and VISA credit card payments to consumers, many taxi drivers are still guilty of not following the legal regulations. Online booking systems for ride orders often also charge extra costs.

The payment organizations MasterCard and VISA are counted among the four-party payment systems. Other card organizations such as American Express, Diners and Discover are counted among three-party payment systems. The latter card organizations issue cards themselves to cardholders and in most cases also deal with transactions on behalf of entrepreneurs.

Eurozone payments are subject to this new legal provision.

All consumer card payment instruments that are issued under a four-party payment system are covered by this prohibition. For the Dutch situation, this means that the following card payment methods fall under this: a Maestro card - read our Dutch 'debit card', a V PAY card - read our Dutch 'debit card', the MasterCard card - all variants: prepaid, debit, credit and the VISA card - all variants: prepaid, debit, credit.

Article 7: 520 of the Civil Code

This provision would prohibit Dutch businesses from charging surcharge to consumers for specific card payments. It does not matter whether the payment takes place in a shop - on a payment terminal - or via the internet in a webshop, the taxi or webshop for online booking of the journey order.

Paying cash in the taxi can incur additional costs

For all other means of payment you can as yet (continue to) charge a surcharge as an entrepreneur. Regardless of whether the payment method is used at a counter, in the taxi or online payment. So you can charge costs for cash payments, for example.

How is the situation in Belgium?

In Belgium a law has been passed that prohibits surcharging altogether. As a merchant or entrepreneur, you are not allowed to charge extra costs when using a specific payment method. Not in store, not online. Not for Bancontact, for Maestro, MasterCard, VISA or American Express payments.

Card payments from consumers outside the Eurozone and business card transactions ('corporate cards') are not covered by the provision. For the time being, you will still be able to charge a surcharge to all consumers for cash payments or payments with an American Express, Diners, Discover, JCB or UnionPay card.