Congress proposes to eliminate credit card membership payments definitively

The Congress of the Republic seeks to definitively eliminate the collection of the membership fee on all credit cards offered by banks in Peru. This initiative is from Avanza País parliamentarian Norma Yarrow, who, in the explanatory statement for the project, stated that there have already been up to two attempts to eliminate this payment, with insufficient results.

The first was in 2020, through a bill presented in the previous Congress, but which was not approved because the Superintendency of Banking and Insurance and Pension Fund Administrators (SBS) issued Resolution S.B.S. 1870-2020, which obliges banks to have at least one credit card portfolio that does not include among its conditions the collection of the membership fee.

The second attempt was in 2021, with the promulgation of Law No. 31143, a law that protects consumers of financial services from usury, which provides for the elimination of this charge, but leaves open the possibility for banking companies to “agree” the collection of this commission with their customers.

According to those reported by Yarrow, these advances are insufficient, since “it is clear that no natural person has the negotiation capacity to establish individual agreements with the banks that provide the credit cards”, so “all they could do is submit to the payment of the commission or not take out the card. credit”.

The Avanza País Congressman's Bill states that “the credit card agreement does not charge the membership fee” , and that non-compliance with this provision “results in the imposition of sanctions” by the SBS.

It further states that “the benefits associated with credit cards, such as access to airport VIP lounges, all types of insurance, discounts, accumulation of points, kilometers or miles, redemptions of products or services, any customer loyalty program and access to the global card processor platform, cannot be financed by the collection of any commission”.

NORMA YARROW PRESENTS FAKE NEWS

Speaking during the debate on the second vacancy motion against President Pedro Castillo, Norma Yarrow was very defiant as she expressed her position in front of the Congress Plenary a “news story” without realizing that she was committing a serious error.

During her speech, the parliamentarian did not hesitate to get an impression where the “news” was that Guillermo Bermejo would supposedly wage an armed struggle if the president was vacated. However, what no one told Yarrow is that this was fake news.

Very sure of this source of information, the congressman was very energetic in pointing out and attacking parliamentarian Guillermo Bermejo to encourage these actions. Unfortunately, Norma Yarrow did not verify the information well and made a mistake that will remain for political history.

It turns out that this false news came out from a page very similar to that of the newspaper La República, the same one that has copied typologies, colors and even style in the editorial office.

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