Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging – Phase 3 Appendix A: RBA Consumer Survey Questions

Question 1. Some shops apply a surcharge (or fee) on card transactions. How do you feel about this practice?
Note: Response Options 1–3 were presented in a random order.

1. Card surcharging is necessary for businesses to cover the costs of providing card payments
2. I don’t care about card surcharging
3. Surcharging is unnecessary and should stop

Question 2. When deciding whether to purchase products or services, would you prefer to see …
Note: Response Options 1–2 were presented in a random order.

1. The advertised price excluding the cost of paying by card, and then paying a surcharge on top of this at the checkout if you use a card
2. The all-inclusive price, which includes the advertised price and the cost of paying by card, with this all-inclusive price applying at the checkout regardless of how you pay
3. I don’t understand the difference
4. I understand the difference but I don’t care

Question 3. If you were offered a discount of X per cent for paying with cash $50 purchase $Y discount to make a (that is, a), and there was no discount for other payment methods, would you …⁷³

1. Make no change to your choice of how to pay – you always use cash anyway
2. Switch from using a card to paying cash and receive the discount
3. Use a credit card and not receive the discount
4. Use a debit card and not receive the discount
5. Use another method (please specify_______)

Question 4. Thinking about card surcharges currently, do you feel you are notified about them by the shop before you pay …

1. All of the time (I know about surcharges before I pay)
2. Some of the time (I sometimes know about surcharges but am sometimes surprised)
3. Rarely (I am often surprised by surcharges)
4. Unsure

Endnotes

73 Respondents were randomly assigned either a 1, 2, 3 or 4 per cent discount, along with the corresponding discount in dollar terms (i.e. $0.50, $1.00, $1.50 or $2.00).