Despite court ruling

Uproar over voucher fee in shopping centers

If you don't use up vouchers at CCA Amstetten within a year, you have to pay a monthly fee. This annoyance also affects customers in the SCS.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Patrick Huber, PayLife)

Only valid for one year, after which they cost two euros per month: prepaid cards, which are also sold in the SCS in Vösendorf and the CCA Amstetten, are causing a great deal of resentment among customers.

If you don't know what to give as a gift, vouchers are often the best choice - especially if you can redeem them in all stores in a shopping center. But if you don't spend the credit quickly, you could be in for a rude awakening. This affects the so-called PayLife prepaid cards, which can be purchased in Lower Austria at Shopping City Süd or CCA, for example.

"A bottomless impertinence"
In Amstetten, a customer recently had a rude awakening - her credit vanished into thin air. Or more precisely: it was used up by a "standby fee". According to the general terms and conditions, PayLife cards only have a limited term of one year. To ensure that the credit does not expire afterwards, two euros per month must be paid. "A downright cheek and a more than questionable business idea," says the woman.

Incidentally, this is also the view of the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of a complaint by the Association for Consumer Information in 2023 and found that consumers were being grossly disadvantaged. Since this ruling, the fees can be reclaimed at any time in the shopping center and the card can be extended for a maximum of 30 years.

Still in circulation
This is now also pointed out in the terms and conditions. "The entire credit balance is then available to the customer again," emphasizes BAWAG, which is responsible for this. However, the voucher cards will continue to be sold with a one-year period and a fee. "Many people have certainly thrown the cards away because there was no more credit on them," suspects the Amstetten resident.