The first changes to the rules of the Workers’ Food Program (PAT) come into effect next week. Published in November last year, the decree established limits on the fees charged by benefit companies to restaurants and commercial establishments that use meal and food vouchers, in addition to setting a deadline for the transfer of payments.
Although the decree is already in force, the government has defined transition periods so that companies and operators can renegotiate and adapt contractual clauses.
Starting next week, for example, the 3.6% ceiling on the maximum fee charged to establishments by accreditors will come into effect. Within this limit, the interchange fee will be restricted to up to 2%. The charging of any additional fees is also prohibited.
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Another change that comes into force provides that payments to establishments will be transferred within 15 calendar days after the transaction is carried out. Previously, the average term was 30 days.
The decree also determines the interoperability of the system, that is, the possibility for cards from different benefit companies to be accepted on any machine that operates meal voucher or food voucher payments. But the deadline for this adaptation is longer.
Within 360 days, any card must work on all payment machines, with the implementation of full interoperability between brands.
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Association reinforces guidance for adapting to rules
With the first changes coming into force next week, the Brazilian Association of Credit Card and Services Companies (Abecs) reinforced the guidance that transactions with benefit cards — such as meal vouchers, food vouchers and culture vouchers — must be carried out exclusively through the “voucher” option on payment terminals, and no longer through “credit” or “debit” modalities.
“For transactions to occur in accordance with the new market opening guidelines, Abecs reinforces that the entire market must be fully oriented to ensure that the “voucher” rail is enabled in payment terminals, TEF systems or e-commerce platforms to accept open arrangement flags”, says the association in a note.
For consumers, the guidance is that, at the time of payment, they select or ask the seller for the “voucher” option when using cards of these types.
