Credit Card Charges 13/01/2018

Due to a change in EU law from 13th January 2018  we will no longer able to pass credit card processing fees to our clients and have made the decision to stop accepting payments by credit card for our services and disbursements from 13th January 2018.

Disbursements are fees that are incurred for products and services provided by third parties during a transaction and are charged to a client at cost.

The new rules effectively mean that the rates normally charged by the banks to process credit card payments (normally at 2-3% of a transaction) cannot be passed on to the payer any longer.

Some firms and businesses are raising their fees and prices to ensure they are not at a loss because of these new rules, but we have decided that the best way forward is to stop taking payment by credit card to ensure that we continue to offer best value for our clients without raising our general costs.

Although these new rules also affect debit cards the bank processing charges for debit card payments is much lower and we have never charged our clients for processing payments made by debit card.

Making a payment by debit card is a very safe way to pay us and we will continue to accept payments by debit card as normal.

Our decision to stop accepting payments made by credit card affects very few of our clients.

Most of our family law clients are legally aided and there are restrictions already in place set by the banks as to what fees can be paid by credit (and debit) cards during property transactions.

One suggestion we have heard is that if you were going to use a credit card to make a payment and a business no longer accepts credit card payments that you withdraw cash on your credit card or make a deposit from the credit card to your bank account and then make the payment using your debit card.

If you wish to make a payment to us in cash you should bear in mind that we are only able to accept limited amounts of cash during the course of any matter.

It is also worth remembering that if  you use a credit card to deposit funds in your current account during a house purchase it may affect your eligibility for a mortgage.

It is always possible to discuss with us, at any time, how a payment for our fees or disbursements is to be made to us before making the payment by calling 0191 4555361.

For more general information about the new financial rules that affect credit cards please see https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/cards/2017/07/credit-debit-card-fees-to-be-banned