Saturday, March 24, 2018

How to Complaint Shop Charge 2% Cards Surcharge

If you buy items using credit or debit cards, some shop will charge 2% or 2.5% extra (surcharge) to your total bill. Do you know, you can complaint if merchant imposes extra charges for a card payment? Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) released a press statement on how to lodge complaints on retailers imposing surcharges for debit and credit card transactions.

2% Credit Cards Surcharge

According to BNM press statement, members of the public can lodge their complaints through the BNM MyLink mobile application or directly to the Payment card issuer.

BNM MyLink

BNM MyLink mobile application
Please follow these steps:

  • Download the mobile application from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store;
  • Open the BNM MyLINK application;
  • Click on ‘Directory’;
  • Choose the name of the acquirer (institutions that provide the payment terminals) from the list of financial service providers;
  • Click on ‘Send Email’; and
  • Provide details of the complaint (including complainant’s full name, NRIC number and phone number).
  • Payment card issuer
  • Complaints can also be lodged to the payment card issuer either by calling the number at the back of debit or credit cards or via other official channel of communications such as email.


Information required for lodging a complaint (Please refer to the images below)
merchant acquirer
2% charge


  • Full name of retailer;
  • Address of retailer;
  • Name of the acquirer (which can be found on the top part of the payment card transaction slip or the payment card terminal); and
  • Evidence that the retailer is imposing a surcharge (e.g. transaction receipt with the surcharge amount, notice displayed at the retailers’ outlet which indicates that surcharge will be imposed)
  • Advice to public on lodging a complaint
  • Lodging a complaint will facilitate the acquirers to take the necessary action to ensure that retailers cease imposing surcharges on debit and credit card transactions. However, this does not guarantee that the complainant will receive a refund of any surcharge paid to the retailer.


Members of the public who do not wish to pay the surcharge imposed by a retailer are advised to purchase goods and services from another retailer that does not impose a surcharge.

Members of the public may use BNM MyLink or by contacting the payment card issuer to lodge a complaint against any retailer that imposes a minimum purchase amount for debit and credit card transactions. Such practice is prohibited under the rules of the international card schemes, such as Visa and Mastercard.

For further information and enquiries, please contact our BNM Telelink Contact Centre at 1300-88-5465 or e-mail to bnmtelelink@bnm.gov.my.