Rip-off fees on plastic cards have been outlawed by the Office of Fair Trading this week, but that doesn't mean we'll see the end of them any time soon. While the OFT has given companies notice to change misleading debit and credit card surcharging practices, you can be sure that they'll drag their feet long enough to ensure a decent flow of extra profits before they have to comply.
The OFT is also pushing for new laws to stop consumers being surcharged when
buying goods and services with any debit card. But bitter experience teaches
us that new legislation can take an eternity to reach the statute books, and
that's even presuming that the OFT's proposals gain support in Parliament.