Did you know that for transnational payments in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway the bank is obliged to provide clear information about any type of charge or commission applicable? And that if the payment is made in Euros or Swedish krona, the entity may not charge more than for a national operation for the same value in Euros? Find out about your rights as a consumer when making payments and transfers or when you use cheques as a method of payment.
If the consumer encounters any problem with making payments within the EU, it's important to reach out to your bank or card provider. They are required to provide a written response to the complaint within 15 days (or up to 35 days in specific exceptional cases). Additionally, they should have a formal procedure in position to handle complaints from consumers.
Should the consumer requires assistance in asserting his/her rights, the consumer has the option to contact FIN-NET for issues concerning financial service providers, or ECC-Net for problems with traders.
For any transnational payment in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, the bank shall provide clear information about any type of charge or commission, and if the payment is made in Euros or Swedish krona they may not charge more than for a national operation for the same value in Euros. This regulation applies to all payments made electronically, including the following:
- Transfers between bank accounts in different countries in the EU.
- Cash withdrawals from cash tills in EU countries.
- Payments made with a credit or debit card throughout the EU.
- Direct debit operations.
- ◦Cash remittances.
Banks in EU countries that do not belong to the Euro zone* must also apply this regulation.
With regard to the deadline for crediting electronic transfers and payments, in the EU, your electronic payments must be credited within one working day.
*Euro Zone: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, The Netherlands and Portugal.
The European legislation on bank commissions for national and international payments is not applicable to cheques. However, commissions for cashing cheques issued in another EU country are often very high. In addition, in many EU countries, cheques are no longer accepted as a method of payment.
Antes de emprender un viaje:
- Aunque las entidades suelen ser previsoras y envían las tarjetas de pago un tiempo antes de que caduque la que se tiene en uso, no está de más revisar la fecha de caducidad de las tarjetas que se vayan a llevar en el viaje.
- Si el teléfono móvil tiene la tecnología necesaria, puede instalarse en él una plataforma en la que llevar las tarjetas y desde la que tramitar los pagos con ellas. Es una forma cómoda de llevar siempre dinero encima.
- El uso de banca online y de aplicaciones móviles facilitan las gestiones bancarias. Antes de viajar, debe comprobarse que se tienen las claves de acceso y que funcionan correctamente. En el caso de pérdida de la tarjeta, muchas de las Apps de las entidades permiten bloquearla cómodamente desde el terminal, sin tener que recurrir a la entidad.
- Si se van a utilizar las tarjetas para sacar efectivo o pagar compras en el extranjero, revisar antes las condiciones que el banco tiene establecidas para estos servicios. Quizás haya que buscar un producto más adecuado que los que se tienen contratados para realizar estas operativas.
- Si se ofrece la posibilidad de financiar alguna de las compras, deben comprobarse las condiciones para valorar si es la opción que más conveniente.
- Asegurarse de tener dinero suficiente en la cuenta, consultar los movimientos y de que no hay cargos indebidos. Además, pueden programarse las trasferencias para seguir cumpliendo con los compromisos, o hacer traspasos entre cuentas que eviten, por ejemplo, que alguna de ellas entre en descubierto, evitando así el coste que conlleva.
European legislation
- Directive 2014/92/ EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on the comparability of fees related to payment accounts, payment account switching and access to payment accounts with basic features.
- Regulation (EU) No 260/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2012 establishing technical and business requirements for credit transfers and direct debits in euro and amending Regulation (EC) No 924/2009.
- Directive 2008/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 on credit agreements for consumers and repealing Council Directive 87/102/EEC.
Spanish legislation. Laws
- Law 16/2011 of 24 June, of consumer credit contracts.
- Law 22/2007 of 11 July, on distance commercialization of financial services for consumers.
- Law 16/2009 of 13 November, of payment services.
- Royal Decree-Law 8/2014 of 4 July, of approval of urgent measures for growth, competitiveness and efficiency.