Banking

The latest financial plague in the number of companies slugging us a surcharge for paying with a credit card. The average seems to be 1.5-3 per cent with some, like taxis, charging an extortionate 10 per cent.

Airlines charge a sneaky flat fee of $7, which sounds low unless it’s on a $100 fare when it becomes 7 per cent.

Here’s the reality. The average merchant fee from Visa and Mastercard is 0.81 per cent.

So retailers, restaurants and other service providers who charge more are making a profit out of it.

Thankfully, the Reserve Bank has sent a warning that they are about to target this profiteering.