Australian credit card holders are not happy about surcharges on credit card payments, with a NEWS.com.au survey showing many people are ditching plastic for cash payments to avoid such fees.
The survey of credit card holders has revealed 46 per cent had used another means of payment when asked to pay a surcharge.
When respondents were asked about alternative payments, the most commonly cited were BPay, cash and EFTPOS.
The survey of of 1678 people was carried out between February 12 and 20 in conjunction with online polling firm Coredata.
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The survey comes in response to an increasing number of merchants using surcharges on credit card payments to recoup costs they incur in credit-card transactions.
In recent years, the RBA has removed restrictions on merchants applying surcharges to credit-card payments.
While some consmers still used credit cards when faced with a surcharge - many citing convenience as a reason - other people said they went to different merchants.
"I pulled up in a petrol station and there was a sign saying they charged a surcharge for credit cards, I then drove to the next station down the road that did not," said one respondent.
Consumers aren't happy about other fees associated with credit cards and a whopping 61 per cent of respondents had been stung by fees for either paying off their credit card too late or not paying the required amount.
Of those who had been hit with late fees, 56 per cent said they were a "rip off", another 23 per cent said they were not fair and 22 per cent said they wanted to close their account.
But some respondents admitted self-fault, with 31 per cent of late payers said they were "annoyed with themselves".
Not all consumers are fully informed about their plastic. Many respondents, or about 30 per cent, were not sure of the interest rate on their credit cards.
Fewer respondents (13 per cent) admitted to being unsure of the fees on their card.
But most people (87 per cent) knew how many interest-free days they had on their credit cards.
Of those surveyed, 90 per cent had a credit card and 62 per cent of credit-card holders made full payment on their cards each month.
Recent Reserve Bank of Australia statistics show that the nation's personal credit card debt is $35.6 billion.
Source: NEWS.com.au
