Thomsons email offers - small print

[WeeCountyMan]

I receive regular weekly "My Holiday Alert" emails flagging up holiday offers.

 

At the end of last month I got a "The Sale Continues" email with special offers and discount codes.

 

The small print on the former, in respect of fees when paying by card, differ from the text on the latter.

 

Here is the relevant "My Holiday Alert" small print from the two most recent messages, 28th Jan. and 4th Feb.

 

When booking, a 2% credit card charge will be made on each payment (capped at £70) using Visa, MasterCard or Eurocard. No charge is made for payment by Maestro or Delta.

 

Now the wording from "The Sale Continues" of 31st Jan.

 

There are no additional charges when paying by Maestro, MasterCard Debit, Visa Debit and Delta debit cards. A fee of 2% applies to credit card payments, which is capped at £95.00 per transaction when using American Express, MasterCard Credit or Visa Credit cards.

 

Apart from the credit card capping limits, the respective texts are not identical in respect of debit cards.

 

MasterCard debit card and Visa debit card are not listed in the former - but are in the latter.

 

Confusing ?

 

:confused:

 

It would also be interesting to learn why the credit card capping fees are set at two different maximum levels.

Edited February 5, 2014 by WeeCountyMan
grammar

[joeholiday2]

Sounds like the usual Thomson left hand-right hand thing....:rolleyes:

 

£42 to book a cabin on some parts of the website, still listed as £39 on others...

 

I suppose we are used to it by now.

[WeeCountyMan]

I've contacted Thomsons by email and await a response - will flag it up when it is received.

[okavango]

I've contacted Thomsons by email and await a response - will flag it up when it is received.

 

they will probably thank you for bringing it to their attention then do sod all about it, i kept telling them for about two years that the cabin booking tel no given was wrong (after it changed from an 0845 to a 0844)

[WeeCountyMan]

I got a very speedy reply when I first flagged up the discrepancy without going into specifics.

 

They've not been so quick to respond to my follow up email - which quoted the relevant text taken direct (cut and pasted) from their small print.

 

Perhaps the question as to why the credit card maximum capping fees differ by £25.00 requires some convincing explanation ?

 

I'm wanting it confirmed that ALL debit cards are fee free when booking.

 

Watch this space.

[sodafountain]

I'm wanting it confirmed that ALL debit cards are fee free when booking

 

As the law states that payment surcharges are representative of the actual processing cost involved, and they do not charge more than this, and the fact that the cost of them taking payment by Debit Card from their card processor is usually pence (average 20p for processing a debit card, whereas a credit card is usually a percentage), i cannot see them being able to charge the standard 2.5% for a debit card.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/crackdown-on-rip-off-card-charges-begins

[WeeCountyMan]

I believe Thomsons credit card surcharge is 2%, not 2.5%.

 

I've just received an email reply from them reference my enquiry about the contradictory small print in their email offers.

 

I reckon Joeholiday2 is right on the money - the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at times.

 

The maximum capping fee for a single credit card transaction is confirmed at £95 - but no explanation as to why £70 was quoted elsewhere.

 

Today's response also mentioned Maestro payments in 2% surcharge cards. That contradicts both the small print text on those confusing email adverts, and the link included for information.

 

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/legal/credit-card-payments.html

 

At least now I am clear that all debit cards are exempt the add on charge.