DT News - UK - Dental practices no longer allowed to charge for non-cash payments

Dental Tribune UK

Wed. 10 January 2018

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LONDON, UK: A new regulation is being introduced by government this week, which will ban businesses in the UK, including dental practices, from charging customers an extra fee for paying with a card. The law applies to all kinds of debit and credit card payments, including American Express cards and other electronic payment methods, such as PayPal or Apple Pay, and will come into effect on 13 January.

Based on the Payment Services Directive II of the EU, the new regulation is supposed to protect customers from excessive surcharges, government said. Businesses that do not comply with the rules will be subject to penalties.

The ban is expected to remain enforced after the UK’s exit from the European Union.

According to the latest statistics, almost every second Brit pays his or her dental fees by credit card. Under current rules, dental practices have been allowed to charge a fee for debit or credit card payment, under the condition that it does not exceed what it costs the practice to process it. The practice of charging for electronic payments was, however, discouraged by professional organisations, such as the British Dental Association.

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