Food and Booze Just Got Cheaper: York Drops “Rip-Off” Transaction Charges

By Huw James and Jack Worrall

Buying food and drink on campus just got easier YUSU Commercial Service and The University of York have jointly announced that from Monday the 18th of September all card and mobile payment charges will be dropped.

Previously purchases below five pounds have been subject to a transaction charge by card of 40 pence. Additionally in January, YUSU Commercial Services controversially announced that those using Yoyo Wallet, the fintech app used for non-cash transactions on campus, would charge a 20p transaction fee for Yoyo payments that total less than £5.

The University of York and YUSU Commercial Services told Vision:

“We hope you are pleased with a decision that is a win for all of our customers and is one that reinforces our commitment to provide value for money to students, staff and visitors.”

Vision notes that the changes came about following a review of card and mobile payment charges promoted by the EU’s Payment Services Directive (PSD2). PSD2 will ban all transaction charges across the EU as of January 2018. The new rules will be put into UK law – and will continue even if we leave the European Union and EEA.

This is one variant of booze called lager
YUSU and the University of York have jumped the gun by ceasing to impose charges on students before doing so would be banned.
Stephen Barclay, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, slammed these charges for being a “Rip-off”.
Barclay added that the charges imposed by campus retailers such as Nisa, and until now YUSU and the University of York, “have no place in a modern Britain”.

Whilst on their own the charges are small, over the years they can amount to a significant loss of savings.

It’s not often that the price of a pint of beer decrease, but these changes have just done that for students drinking on Campus from today.