Credit card payments
You may have extra protection if you pay by credit card for goods and services that cost more than £100 for 1 item but less than £30,000.
This protection comes from Section 75 of the UK Consumer Credit Act 1974. Whilst this Act does not apply to Jersey, it is likely that you have this protection as Section 75 and the Consumer Credit Act may appear in the terms and conditions that you signed when you openned the account.
If so, your credit card provider will be jointly liable with your supplier and must provide a refund if:
- the goods or services are faulty
- the goods or services are not delivered
- the firm goes bust
The protection will guarantee the whole amount even if you have only used your card to put down a deposit or made a part-payment.
If the trader is uncooperative or has otherwise gone out of business, don’t delay in contacting your card issuer.
You can find Section 75 example letters on:
If your credit card provider rejected your claim for a refund contact us for
free help from our Consumer Advice Service.
Debit card payments
If you pay for goods or services with a debit card you may still have some protection through a scheme known as chargeback.
Chargeback allows consumers to try to cancel a transaction if there's a problem. It's offered by:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
Unlike Section 75 above, this is not limited to purchases over £100. The protection lies in the internal rules of the scheme rather than any statutory protection which UK consumers enjoy.
As a general rule, if something goes wrong contact your card provider without delay. Time limits apply and they can be as short as 120 days.
Surcharges added to card payments
A surcharge is when a business charges customers a fee to use a certain type of payment such as a credit card.
You don't often know about having to pay a surchage until the final stages of a transaction.
Surcharges are banned in the UK and EU.
This means a trader can't charge a surcharge if you pay with a:
Surcharges are also limited in some other circumstances.
This ban currently only applies when both the business and customer are in the UK or the Europeen Economic Area (EEA). It doesn't apply to Jersey.
You may not have to pay a surcharge if you buy goods or services from the UK or EU. Some businesses process transactions with Jersey customers the same way as customers in the UK or EEA. You should check with the business before you buy.
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