WE REFER to the letters by Mr Goh Kian Huat, 'What if a shop insists on credit card surcharge?', and Mr Jeffrey Teo Hui Soon, 'Taxis also slap card surcharge' (my paper, May 2).

We wish to inform Messrs Goh and Teo that consumers can exercise their rights by not patronising businesses which do not absorb transaction charges.

Consumers can also report errant merchants to card-issuing banks, which will then take up the matter with the merchants under the Merchant Agreement. We note from the taxi companies' websites that the 10 per cent fee imposed by taxis is an administrative fee rather than a surcharge.

Since it is an administrative fee, we are not in a position to comment.

We trust the above clarifies.

Mrs Ong-Ang Ai Boon
Director,
The Association of Banks in Singapore

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