Retail Council of Canada welcomes consultation on the Code of Conduct for the Debit and Credit Card Industry

TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Retail Council of Canada (RCC) welcomes the release of a consultation document to update the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry.

RCC President and CEO Diane J. Brisebois said mobile payments are expected to be a popular payment option in the years ahead. This is why is it is vital to ensure we continue to provide options for low cost debit cards, as well as ensure merchants'  ability  to manage costs associated with credit card payments.

RCC welcomes the federal government's recognition that the Code needs to be updated to ensure that consumers are able to choose how to pay and merchants are able to choose which payment options to accept.

"RCC will continue to be vigilant in protecting merchants from excessive fees and lack of choice, while providing their customers with payment options," said Brisebois. "We look forward to working with the government to finalize the proposal to modernize the Code."

A recent survey of RCC members on payment issues revealed that retailers frequently deal with service providers who do not respect the spirit of the Code of Conduct. 

"We will continue to work with the federal government to ensure that the principles of the original Code of Conduct are respected," said Brisebois, adding that RCC and its members continue to be concerned with the high cost of accepting credit cards. "We will put forth our members' concerns and endeavour to ensure that they are reflected in the final updated Code."

Retail Council of Canada (www.retailcouncil.org) is the Voice of Retail. Founded in 1963, RCC is a not-for-profit association which represents more than 45,000 stores of all retail formats, including department, grocery, independent merchants, regional and national specialty chains, and online merchants.

SOURCE: Retail Council of Canada

Sally Ritchie
VP Communications and Marketing, RCC
416 922-0553 ext. 228
1 888-373-8245
416 574-2552 (Mobile)
[email protected]