As Bonza customers await refunds, payment liabilities are still up in the air
Some clarity around the chain of liabilities for Bonza's payments has emerged but consumers and payment service providers are still waiting for details on refunds.
The standing of consumers who bought tickets on the suspended Bonza airline — as well as the airline’s payment service providers — remains unclear, as the chain of liability for direct, credit and debit transactions is yet to be tested.
One critical player will be global fintech Stripe which, as the merchant acquirer for Bonza, will have some liability for tickets bought with credit and charge cards.
Consumers who paid using those cards have the right to ask for a chargeback from their issuer for services not delivered. But those who paid with direct account-to-account transfers like PayTo face a far less certain future.
Last week Bonza’s administrators Hall Chadwick noted: “we understand there was a PayTo direct debit system that the company used [and] under that you will have to submit a proof of debt to our office and that claim for any direct debit payments will be dealt directly through the administration”.
