Brazil requires meal-benefit cards to work across payment networks

From Saturday, Brazil requires meal and food benefit cards to work across payment networks at terminals enabled for those benefits.

The change applies to workers’ meal and food cards and the merchants that accept them.

Previously, some benefit providers used their own networks, limiting where each card could be used.

Workers can keep their existing cards, and the change does not alter the benefit amount or its restriction to buying food.

The updated rules also cap transaction fees at 3.6% and require merchants to receive payments within 15 days instead of 30.

The government says wider acceptance and lower costs could benefit merchants and consumers, while a separate estimate put potential annual savings at R$225 per worker from the broader package of changes.

Payment companies must implement the change, although industry groups say systems are not ready; the government says it will not extend the deadline.

Companies that fail to comply may face fines or lose their registration in the Workers’ Food Program.