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Ombudsman opposes plan to charge bank customers e-money top-up fees
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E-money cards are prepared for distribution at a Mandiri branch in Jakarta on Sept. 18. (Antara/ Rivan Awal Lingga)
T
he Indonesian Ombudsman opposes Bank Indonesia’s (BI) plan to charge bank customers e-money top-up fees, arguing that in other countries such services are free.
“The top-up fees involve a lot of money. For example, if the fee is Rp 1,000 per transaction and if a customer tops up Rp 20,000 in the transaction, it means the fee is 5 percent of the transaction,” said Ombudsman commissioner Alvin Lie as reported by tribunnews.com on Wednesday.
He said that top-up fees were burdensome on bank customers, who were already burdened by administrative fees for their bank accounts.
He said the top-up fees should be shouldered by the institutions that were involved in the transactions because they received the benefits of more efficient transactions with e-money.
Read also: 'State banks won’t charge 'top-up fees' to customers'“In neighboring countries, the e-money top-up is free of charge,” he added.
Currently, BI is drafting a regulation that will regulate e-money top-up fees.
Previously, BI Governor Agus MartoWardojo said the burden of top-up fees would likely be placed on bank customers, arguing that the banks needed the additional fees for the maintenance of the system.
However, the State-Owned Bank Association has said its members will not charge top-up fees to their customers. (bbn)
