Mum sparks divide with Aldi receipt over contactless card surcharge

We’re all tightening our belts to survive the global pandemic, leading one mum to discover an Aldi charge she had no idea about.

A lot of us are watching our money at the moment as we struggle through one of the worst financial crises Australia has ever endured.

Which was why one mum noticed an extra charge on her shopping bill she’d never noticed before.

After shopping at Aldi recently, the woman assessed her receipts and discovered she’d been charged 4c during one trip and 7c during another.

The German supermarket charges consumers a 0.5 per cent surcharge on contactless card transactions, which after being pulled up by watchdog ASIC in 2014 is clearly marked on signs in stores.

But the woman told news.com.au she’d never seen them before.

RELATED: Mum’s rant about ‘frustrating’ Aldi closing times

As we are watching our money more than ever, one woman took to Facebook to discuss the contactless card fee shoppers pay at Aldi. Picture: Facebook / Aldi Mums

While she said it isn’t much, she didn’t realise she was paying it. Picture: Facebook / Aldi Mums

“Hey Aldi Mums, did you know that we get charged a credit surcharge when tapping our cards at the register?” she wrote.

“It’s only a few cents but still not happy as I shop there almost every day.”

She accompanied her post with two recent receipts to illustrate what she meant and the post quickly sparked a heated debate.

While some agreed the charge was unreasonable, many people pointed out it was clearly stated and if she wasn’t happy, she should shop elsewhere.

“It all adds up,” one said.

“I knew about it because I’ve seen the signs, but it’s easy to miss,” another added.

While one thanked the helpful user: “WHAT?! I had no idea about this. Thanks for saying.”

RELATED: Shopper uncovers ‘misleading’ Aldi price hike

She said she was ‘not happy’ about her discovery. Picture: Facebook / Aldi Mums

Contactless card payments like payWave or payPass can cost businesses a lot of money, with banks earning around $500 million every year to process card transactions according to The Australian Retailers Association.

To tackle that, businesses either pass the extra costs to consumers through transparent means like surcharges on top of card transactions or by increasing the cost of goods across the store.

Aldi falls into the surcharge camp; placing a small sign on the debit machines that disclose the fee for tap-and-go payments.

“Rather than ALDI inflating prices across the board to compensate for the credit card acceptance costs (like most of the retailers do), ALDI instead allows customers to make the choice as to the payment method they prefer,” the company previously said in a statement.

Others regularly discuss the charges online. Picture: Facebook.

The topic may not be new, but it’s commonly discussed in money-saving forums and groups, where shoppers often try to figure out a way to beat the system.

“I always use my debit (savings) card and insert only to avoid the surcharge of 0.5%. If I paypass my debit card, then I am sure to be charged the surcharge,” one woman helpfully wrote recently.

The other easy way to avoid paying the fee is to pay in cash.

Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | [e-mail]