The Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network (BCEN) is so concerned about a move by the owners of SurePay to charge a fee on over-the-counter bill payments, that it is asking the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) to review the matter.
Executive director Maureen Holder issued a statement last night in response to an advertisement on Page 6A of yesterday’s SUNDAY SUN which stated that a 30 cents (VAT inclusive) fee per transaction is coming to “offset rising processing costs”.
“SurePay (Barbados) Ltd announces the introduction of a nominal convenience fee on cash and cheque payments made over the counter at all SurePay outlets, effective March 16, 2026. This adjustment is necessary due to additional imposed cash and cheque handling and related charges, which have significantly increased operational costs,” the ad stated.
It explained that the fee “will assist in offsetting the substantial charges now levied on large cash deposits and for cheque processing”. The business has about 38 locations across the island.
SurePay director Anthony Yearwood was quoted as saying the charge was “both necessary and carefully considered”.
However, Holder said BCEN was worried about the inconvenience and extra costs many SurePay customers will now face.
“While we acknowledge that private service providers face rising operational and banking costs, over-the-counter bill payment is not a ‘convenience’ for many Barbadians. It is a necessity. Thousands of consumers, including seniors, low-income households and those without access to digital banking, rely on in-person payment options to meet essential obligations such as utilities and telecommunications. The decision by SurePay to introduce a per-transaction fee on over-the-counter bill payments comes at a time when households are already under pressure from rising food, utility, transport and housing costs,” she wrote. Holder added that BCEN believes access to basic bill payment should remain affordable and inclusive. “Any changes to pricing structures must be guided not only by business costs, but by fairness and consumer protection. It unreasonable to ask Barbadians to pay a fee simply to pay their bills. While the amount may seem small, the principle and precedent deserve serious scrutiny, especially in a high cost-of-living environment.
“A flat per-transaction fee, even a small one, has a disproportionate impact on households already under financial pressure and risks deepening financial exclusion. Consumers should not be penalised for lack of access to digital tools or banking services.”
BCEN has called on the FTC to look into the move.
“We also urge the Fair Trading Commission to review the broader consumer impact of new transaction fees on access to essential services. This issue must be understood in context. SurePay’s prominence did not arise in a competitive vacuum. Utility companies such as Barbados Light & Power Company, Barbados Water Authority and Flow Barbados have reduced or closed centrally located, walk-in payment points. Consumers were pushed toward third party payment channels as a result. When fee-free access points disappear, fees on the remaining channels operate less like ‘convenience fees’ and more like charges on necessity.”
Holder noted that SurePay pointed to rising bank processing costs for cash and cheques, but she maintained that if payment trends are moving online, front-office and cash-handling costs should be falling over time.
“Consumers are entitled to ask whether these new costs genuinely justify passing fees to customers, especially when SurePay already receives payment from utility companies to collect bills on their behalf. This raises a serious fairness concern: are consumers now being asked to pay twice for the same service?
“Utility rates already include customer service and billing costs. Charging again at the point of payment shifts costs onto households for functions already captured in regulated utility charges. The cumulative impact is not trivial. A household paying three utility bills monthly could pay more than $10 a year in new transaction fees,” she stated.
The BCEN executive director said their objection was not about opposing business sustainability, but drawing a clear line between reasonable cost recovery and placing new barriers in the way of basic economic participation.
“If transaction fees on paying bills become normalised, the cost of living will rise not through one dramatic increase, but through a steady drip of small charges that add up for families already stretched.
“This matter deserves public scrutiny and regulatory attention by the [FTC]. Access to essential services should not quietly become another point of financial strain for those with the fewest alternatives,” she argued.
(SG/PR)
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