A photo at a Malaysian petrol station stating that they will only accept transactions above RM 20 for e-wallet payments and RM 30 for credit card payments has been going viral on social media.
The photo has sparked a debate between social media users on whether shop merchants can set a minimum spent on credit card and e-wallet transactions.
Other than setting a minimum spent on cashless transactions, the note also claims that purchase of cigerettes and Touch 'n Go card reloads can only be done with cash.
From what we understand, the petrol station in question is located along the Karak Highway, Bentong, Pahang.
The post has since gone viral and even caught Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) attention. BNM replied to the post telling the customer to make a complaint on its website.
Based on information on BNM’s website, merchants cannot set a minimum spent on credit card and e-wallet transactions. The practice is prohibited under the international bank card systems such as Visa and Mastercard.
According to Article 5.11.3 of Section 5: “When a merchant accepts a valid and correctly presented Mastercard or Maestro Card, it cannot request or indicate the minimum or maximum consumption amount.” This also includes Visa or Visa Electron Card.
Hence, BNM is encouraging consumers to make a complaint at their website or the card-issuing bank should they come across a shop that has set a minimum spent on credit card transactions.
Keyword: Bentong petrol station under fire for setting minimum spent on credit card and e-wallet transactions