It’s actually hard to believe that some vendors still require a minimum purchase (see related story) to use bank cards. After all, both government and the St. Maarten Bankers Association have made clear this is not allowed on various occasions.
According to the latter, no additional fees may be charged for card payments, no purchase limits may be imposed, both MasterCard and Visa cards must be accepted, and card acceptance markings must be clearly displayed.
Despite this, non-compliance apparently continues and Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs has now sent a letter with a list of businesses involved received from the public to the bankers association, requesting that the matter be investigated and that appropriate follow-up and enforcement be carried out.
In addition, she initiated discussions with her colleague of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) as well as others to explore the possibility of linking compliance to the issuance of business licences. This would provide authorities with a direct mechanism to address violations.
Some might feel that goes a bit far, but as digital payments become the norm, consumers should not be unjustly burdened in such a manner. The minister also acknowledged vendors’ concerns regarding transaction fees and confirmed that this issue is being discussed with Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) to explore solutions.
One can understand if merchants feel their related cost becomes prohibitive in case of low amounts, but – ultimately – they always have an option to not offer the service. That would no doubt negatively affect their competitive position and income, however, so obeying the rules in this regard seems like a relatively small price to pay.
In today’s digital payment systems world, one is either in or out.
