UBA Launches ‘No Merchant Surcharge’ Campaign for Bank Customers

Following Bank of Uganda directive from August last year that prohibits merchant surcharging at Point of Sale (POS) terminals and the fixing of minimum/maximum transaction amounts on electronic payment cards, Uganda Bankers Association (UBA) today launched the ‘No Merchant Surcharge’ Campaign dubbed “Pay with your Card @No extra Cost” that aims at eliminating the practice of merchants levying extra fees at POS machines.

Speaking at a Press Briefing this morning, UBA Executive Director Wilbrod Owor said, “The bid is to drive the growth and uptake of Digital Financial Services.”

Through this campaign, UBA will educate consumers on the No Surcharge Rule where cardholders should not be compelled to pay additional fees for using their payment cards of choice instead of cash at a point of sale.

The consumer would enjoy the benefit of no extra fee charge from the Bank’s partners or merchants such as stores, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, bars and fuel stations.

“Merchants will enjoy a service with reduced risk of counterfeit notes, loss of monies by theft or otherwise, as well as carrying loads of money from or to the bank,” says Owor.

Salma Ingabire, Visa’s Country Manager for Uganda, explained that surcharging has an adverse impact on electronic payments growth and ultimately on financial inclusion.

“We believe that consumers should be free to choose their preferred form of payment and those who decide to pay with payment cards should not be penalized. Visa’s no surcharging protection was created specifically to shield consumers from retailers who seek to impose surcharge fees and penalize consumers who choose Visa over other forms of payment. Surcharging unfairly shifts the cost of doing business onto consumers. We will continue to work with our financial institution partners like UBA and retailers to ensure the practice of card surcharging is not permitted on all card transactions,” said Ingabire.

Frank Molla, Director, Country Business Development, East Africa Growth Markets, Mastercard noted the practice of applying surcharge fees frustrates the efforts of financial institutions and card scheme providers in facilitating convenient payment and access to services.

“The growth of digital technology has presented people with access to innovative, affordable solutions that help them meet their financial needs, ultimately leading to financial inclusion and increased prosperity. By giving customers the flexibility to pay for goods and services via their bank card on terms that work for them, we are driving safety and convenience. At Mastercard, we aim to ensure we not only provide access but that together we also ensure usage of our financial tools to assist Ugandans to transact seamlessly and affordably.”

The campaign will run for six months, initially starting in the Central region for 3 months. It is expected to go a long way in increasing awareness on the benefits of card usage and ensure Ugandans transact at no extra cost while using digital payment systems.