More consumers are moving to cashless transactions. In retail, non-cash methods accounted for 76% of payments in 2017. While in the Convenience Sector, the move to card payments is lagging behind that of wider retail – with just under 9% of transactions being paid by Contactless or Card over the same period. Find our 2018 analysis of card payments in convenience here.

‘Some people will continue to buy to reach the minimum. However, quite a few walk away disgruntled.’
‘Customers do not appreciate small business bank charges and state they don’t have a minimum spend at large supermarkets so some just will walk out.’
‘Since we have introduced a minimum spend of £5, it seems to have balanced with some topping up and some leaving.’

The surcharge ban hasn’t been wholeheartedly complied with. In the month of December 2018, around 20% of the shops we measured still applied surcharges to their customers – breaching EU law.

such as economic and political uncertainty, retail crime, and industry competition, to name a few. Looking at the same set of Shop Data, we can see the average shop sales have decreased by 6.3% Year-on-Year. For C-stores, losing the right to charge consumers wanting to pay small amounts by card, or inconveniencing their customers with a minimum card spend is just another issue they have to face, with the reactions remaining uncertain.

When the surcharge ban was introduced, some convenience retailers removed all charges and now have ‘charge-less’ card payments, absorbing the cost as part of their overheads. Taking this financial hit is the most expensive alternative to the surcharge, but it is certainly a popular option with customers.