Manila Electric Co., the country's biggest power retailer, said Thursday it will reinstate starting June 1 the convenience fees for online and mobile app transactions but at a lower cost of P15.
Meralco suspended last year the imposition of the P47 per transaction convenience fee to give reprieve to consumers amid the pandemic.
"Starting June 1, convenience fees in Meralco Online and Mobile App will be reinstated but at the reduced rate of P15 [from P47] per transaction, even when paying multiple bills in one transaction," Meralco said in a text advisory.
"This fee goes to our payment partners. With Meralco Online, you enjoy real time posting from the safety of your home," the company said.
Meralco announced in June last year it would shoulder the convenience fee for online payments during the quarantine period.
“We will extend as you said the waiver of convenience fee for the entire duration of the GCQ, until the GCQ is terminated or moves to the new normal, if you will, we will spare the consumers the cost of the convenience fee. We will need to find a way to reduce this cost to Meralco,” Meralco president Ray Espinosa said earlier.
Espinosa said at that time Meralco was looking at a way of having its own platform and not rely on third party.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said the P47 convenience fee "is a disincentive for consumers moving online" especially due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Meralco has over seven million customers in its franchise area.
Meralco clarified that the fee goes to through a payment gateway operated and maintained by an online third-party service provider.
Gatchalian urged the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to look into the fees being charged by third-party service providers.