Our business customers may have noticed that payments made with corporate cards incur fees of several percentage points. While we’re not happy about this either, corporate cards aren’t subject to the same fee regulations as consumer cards. Payment service providers (VISA, Mastercard, etc.) take full advantage of this by charging higher fees for corporate transactions. At Alza.cz, we want to raise awareness of this issue and encourage business customers to use fee-free payment methods instead. But why are corporate card fees so high—and how can you avoid them?
Fees for consumer card payments are regulated at both the EU and Czech national levels. However, these rules do not apply to business cards issued for corporate accounts. As a result, card issuers and associations can charge significantly higher fees—often reaching several percent of the transaction amount. This fee is paid by the merchant (Alza) to the card issuer, and we have no control over its amount.
For every card payment, we check whether corporate fees apply. If they do, we notify you before you confirm the payment. The fee amount—in both percentage and CZK—is clearly displayed below the card number entry field. In addition to explaining the fee, we also offer you the option to choose a different payment method—the best way to avoid the charge. Our goal is not only to reduce costs but also to highlight how current regulations unfairly disadvantage business customers. That’s why we actively encourage you to use one of the many alternative payment methods that do not carry unnecessarily high fees.
We’ve made the difficult decision to pass corporate card fees to customers because card issuers and payment networks refuse to create fair conditions for both consumer and business cards. This unfair system hurts not only major retailers but also smaller businesses—and ultimately, corporate customers like you. In the end, these high fees lead to increased prices for goods and services. We believe the best way to highlight this issue, while also helping customers save money, is through transparency. You’ll always see what fees apply to your corporate card and have the option to avoid them by selecting a different payment method.
Avoiding corporate card fees is easy. Simply choose one of the many fair payment methods that don't involve any additional fees for business customers. The best fee-free payment options include:
High fees for corporate card payments are non-refundable
The card issuer retains the entire fee amount. This means if you return goods or fail to collect them and request a refund, you will only receive the product amount back - the card payment fee remains with the card issuer. This is another important reason to choose an alternative payment method over corporate cards.
