UAE allows Dh2 surcharge on credit card payment for fuel

The UAE said on Wednesday that it would allow oil companies to impose a Dh2 surcharge to credit card payments for fuel purchased at their outlets across the country.

Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Economy, said the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection has approved the request of oil companies to allow customers to make fuel purchases using a credit card, but that a charge of Dh2 as commission will be levied on the value of each such transaction.

Al Shehhi said that the Committee has exempted the decision of the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection in its second meeting for the year 2011, which prevented companies from imposing surcharges on credit card to consumers as commission on the value of purchase.

He emphasised the importance of strategic decisions made by the Ministry and the Supreme Committee for Consumer Protection recently which highly supported consumer rights and boost economic competitiveness and growth in the UAE.

The committee was briefed at its fourth meeting in 2011 on the report about the re-introduction of the use of bank cards to buy fuel which was suspended four years ago because of the high costs incurred by petrol companies. In this context, the Committee issued set of recommendations, most notably to study company's proposal requesting the approval of the re-use of bank cards and will arrange soon meetings with Visa and MasterCard to agree on appropriate solution for the mentioned request.