AIB contactless fees?

P

PaddyW

Registered User
Messages
1,324
Does anyone know when contactless payments with AIB started getting charged? I had thought they were free until further notice. Maybe it was something I didn't notice.
 
I just tried to ring customer support there. Outside of hours unfortunately, but the automated message quite clearly said that they continue to waive the contactless fee for debit card transactions. After digging further into my fee advices, it appears they have been charging me for contactless all along!
 
Current info on their website re fees for current accounts

  • What is the fee for a contactless transaction?
    Currently we do not charge for contactless transactions. While contactless transactions carry a fee of 20 cent per transaction, we have not charged this fee since we introduced contactless payments in 2012. We announced on 4th September 2020 that we will continue to provide contactless transactions free of charge until further notice for all our customers.
 
rustbucket said:
Current info on their website re fees for current accounts

  • What is the fee for a contactless transaction?
    Currently we do not charge for contactless transactions. While contactless transactions carry a fee of 20 cent per transaction, we have not charged this fee since we introduced contactless payments in 2012. We announced on 4th September 2020 that we will continue to provide contactless transactions free of charge until further notice for all our customers.
Click to expand...
Thanks rustbucket. Looking back so far, I have been charged for contactless going back pre 2019. Some of those probably were using pin code and rightly charged, but today they said I had 251 transactions. I know that I did not use my debit card 251 times without using contactless! Time for a phone call in the morning.
 
PaddyW said:
Thanks rustbucket. Looking back so far, I have been charged for contactless going back pre 2019. Some of those probably were using pin code and rightly charged, but today they said I had 251 transactions. I know that I did not use my debit card 251 times without using contactless! Time for a phone call in the morning.
Click to expand...
Contactless are free, but if you use a phone to tap, then it's 20c per transaction, because the bank takes the money from your current account and sends it to Google Pay, for instance, which is a credit transaction at a 20c cost, and then your tap part is free.
The best to avoid fees is to get a credit card at a cost of a 30 Eur stamp duty per annum. There are no transaction fees for most, if not all, credit cards in Ireland.
 
Also from their site which explains what a contactless transaction is. This precedes the previous post which then says contactless are free.

I don’t see anywhere on the fees guide which says there is a charge to third party for contactless using your phone. That’s is misleading

  • What is a contactless transaction?
    A contactless transaction is one where you ‘tap’ your debit card or enabled smartphone or smartwatch to pay for something in store.
 
GrossOrNet said:
Contactless are free, but if you use a phone to tap, then it's 20c per transaction, because the bank takes the money from your current account and sends it to Google Pay, for instance, which is a credit transaction at a 20c cost, and then your tap part is free.
The best to avoid fees is to get a credit card at a cost of a 30 Eur stamp duty per annum. There are no transaction fees for most, if not all, credit cards in Ireland.
Click to expand...
That's is scandalously high amount to pay per transaction. I am with Bank of Ireland and pay a flat fee of €6 a month for my current account.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5732.jpeg
    IMG_5732.jpeg
    696.1 KB · Views: 95
Steven Barrett said:
That's is scandalously high amount to pay per transaction. I am with Bank of Ireland and pay a flat fee of €6 a month for my current account.
Click to expand...
Which is also a lot! But if you think this way: AIB doesn't charge a monthly fee, only a quarterly 4.50 Eur so it's only a 1.50 Eur per month. If you use a card/online/SO/EFT only 6 times a week combined, then it'd also be only around 6 Eur a month.
For non-active bank users, AIB is cheaper.
Currently the cheapest Irish bank is EBS which I use for any daily transactions as it's completely free.
For GBP online purchases and travelling to the UK I use Revolut card and for larger and nearly all online purchases a credit card (not a Revolut). Effectively, my banking cost me only 30 Eur a year credit card stamp duty + Revolut FX fees.
 
rustbucket said:
https://aib.ie/our-products/current-accounts/contactless-payments#:~:text=No%20transaction%20fees%20apply%20to,'Schedule%20of%20International%20Charges'.

No mention of digital wallet charges other than the usual fees which are currently zero for tapping
Click to expand...
Digital wallet is free, but to top up a digital wallet isn't free. Similar to Revolut, a top up via the Google Pay is 20c. So you could top up your Google Pay with a few hundred to avoid it being toped up for each time you tap the phone, instead.
 
If anyone is foolish enough to use AIB as their day-to-day bank, they need their head examined. You should close your account immediately and move elsewhere. AIB love the inertia of their customers and you are paying handsomely for it!

From Money Guide Ireland website:

Allied Irish Bank​

  • AIB charges Admin Charges and Transaction Fees .
  • The admin fee is €4.50 per quarter. (€18 a year).
  • AIB also charge the following amounts for transactions :
    • Automated Transactions (Direct Debit/ Standing Orders) 20c.
    • Internet or Phone transaction 20c
    • ATM withdrawals 35c
    • Machine Lodgements 35c
    • Cheque Processing 39c
    • Debit Card Transaction 20c
    • Over the Counter Transaction 39c

Comparison of Bank Charges ​

These figures are based on the following annual transactions:​

  • Debit Card Purchases (Euros) : 365 (1 a day)
  • Contactless 365 (1 a day)
  • Debit Card Non-Euro Purchases of €100 equivalent. 12 : (1 a month)
  • ATM withdrawals: 36 (3 a month)
  • Online transactions – 52 (1 a week)
  • Direct Debits 72 (6 a month)
  • Standing Orders : 12 (1 a month)
  • Counter transactions – none
  • Cheques Lodged 0

    We have not included any cheque lodgement fees or fees for counter transactions. ( AIB will charge extra for these)

Sample Annual Bank Charges​

For all the transactions listed above: –​

  • Revolut would charge you nothing.
  • N26 would charge you nothing.
  • EBS would charge €12 (just for the non-euro purchases.)
  • Bunq would charge €26.97
  • PTSB would charge €33 (with the 10c reward for twice-daily debit card purchases included)
  • Credit Union would charge €72
  • BOI charges would be €96.
  • An Post would charge €117.60
  • AIB would charge €151.80
 
Just got off the phone with AIB card services who told me there is no charges to use your digital wallet for transactions. Using your phone to pay for items incurs no extra charges or transaction fees according to the guy I just spoke to unless you are abroad.

He went on to say that it should make it cheaper as there are charges for using chip and pin

The 20c internet or phone charges relates to transactions on internet banking and the mobile app
 
rustbucket said:
Just got off the phone with AIB card services who told me there is no charges to use your digital wallet for transactions. Using your phone to pay for items incurs no extra charges or transaction fees according to the guy I just spoke to unless you are abroad.

He went on to say that it should make it cheaper as there are charges for using chip and pin

The 20c internet or phone charges relates to transactions on internet banking and the mobile app
Click to expand...
Have you cross checked that? I was given an opposite info in my AIB branch over a year ago.
If you count your transactions in the statement, how do they match the total of the fees? I have tested this and made no online transactions except DD and SO which I knew the total number of as it's in the statement and also was matching my records in the online banking. When I queried, they said it was my automatic credit transaction which is to top up a wallet for a phone tap.
 
tallpaul said:
If anyone is foolish enough to use AIB as their day-to-day bank, they need their head examined. You should close your account immediately and move elsewhere. AIB love the inertia of their customers and you are paying handsomely for it!

From Money Guide Ireland website:

Allied Irish Bank​

  • AIB charges Admin Charges and Transaction Fees .
  • The admin fee is €4.50 per quarter. (€18 a year).
  • AIB also charge the following amounts for transactions :
    • Automated Transactions (Direct Debit/ Standing Orders) 20c.
    • Internet or Phone transaction 20c
    • ATM withdrawals 35c
    • Machine Lodgements 35c
    • Cheque Processing 39c
    • Debit Card Transaction 20c
    • Over the Counter Transaction 39c

Comparison of Bank Charges ​

These figures are based on the following annual transactions:​

  • Debit Card Purchases (Euros) : 365 (1 a day)
  • Contactless 365 (1 a day)
  • Debit Card Non-Euro Purchases of €100 equivalent. 12 : (1 a month)
  • ATM withdrawals: 36 (3 a month)
  • Online transactions – 52 (1 a week)
  • Direct Debits 72 (6 a month)
  • Standing Orders : 12 (1 a month)
  • Counter transactions – none
  • Cheques Lodged 0

    We have not included any cheque lodgement fees or fees for counter transactions. ( AIB will charge extra for these)

Sample Annual Bank Charges​

For all the transactions listed above: –​

  • Revolut would charge you nothing.
  • N26 would charge you nothing.
  • EBS would charge €12 (just for the non-euro purchases.)
  • Bunq would charge €26.97
  • PTSB would charge €33 (with the 10c reward for twice-daily debit card purchases included)
  • Credit Union would charge €72
  • BOI charges would be €96.
  • An Post would charge €117.60
  • AIB would charge €151.80
Click to expand...
Moving my account next week and closing down AIB account. Thanks for the info.
 
tallpaul said:
If anyone is foolish enough to use AIB as their day-to-day bank, they need their head examined. You should close your account immediately and move elsewhere. AIB love the inertia of their customers and you are paying handsomely for it!

From Money Guide Ireland website:

Allied Irish Bank​

  • AIB charges Admin Charges and Transaction Fees .
  • The admin fee is €4.50 per quarter. (€18 a year).
  • AIB also charge the following amounts for transactions :
    • Automated Transactions (Direct Debit/ Standing Orders) 20c.
    • Internet or Phone transaction 20c
    • ATM withdrawals 35c
    • Machine Lodgements 35c
    • Cheque Processing 39c
    • Debit Card Transaction 20c
    • Over the Counter Transaction 39c

Comparison of Bank Charges ​

These figures are based on the following annual transactions:​

  • Debit Card Purchases (Euros) : 365 (1 a day)
  • Contactless 365 (1 a day)
  • Debit Card Non-Euro Purchases of €100 equivalent. 12 : (1 a month)
  • ATM withdrawals: 36 (3 a month)
  • Online transactions – 52 (1 a week)
  • Direct Debits 72 (6 a month)
  • Standing Orders : 12 (1 a month)
  • Counter transactions – none
  • Cheques Lodged 0

    We have not included any cheque lodgement fees or fees for counter transactions. ( AIB will charge extra for these)

Sample Annual Bank Charges​

For all the transactions listed above: –​

  • Revolut would charge you nothing.
  • N26 would charge you nothing.
  • EBS would charge €12 (just for the non-euro purchases.)
  • Bunq would charge €26.97
  • PTSB would charge €33 (with the 10c reward for twice-daily debit card purchases included)
  • Credit Union would charge €72
  • BOI charges would be €96.
  • An Post would charge €117.60
  • AIB would charge €151.80
Click to expand...
Just off this minute to get my head examined and close my AIB account on your advice , Tallpaul. Strange that , as I have just checked my last 12 mths ‘ bank statements and have never once been charged for a phone transaction which I use on average about 30 times per month.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top