Cutting surcharges on most debit and credit cards falls under the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) – EU regulation set to come into UK law by January 13, 2018.

A consultation on whether to implement the legislation as it currently stands was launched on February 2 and ended on March 16.

However, the Association of Atol Companies (AAC) believes the change is not a “done deal”.

The AAC, whose members include Royal Caribbean International and USAirtours, joined Abta earlier this month in issuing a response to the consultation.

AAC chairman Lindsay Ingram told TTG he believed ministers “are inclined not to implement it [the surcharge changes]”, adding that he would be “very surprised if anyone from the travel industry were writing in favour” of backing the proposed ban.

Ingram explained that the wording of the consultation only seeks input from industry sectors on whether a wider prohibition on surcharging would be “in the interests of ensuring a level playing field” for different payment “instruments” and encouraging competition in the payment services market.

The consultation also states that the government “does not currently propose to extend the prohibition as part of the implementation of the PSD2”.

An Abta spokesperson said it had updated its guidance to members surrounding card charges and would continue to do so once the Treasury releases its consultation findings.

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said the association would continue to lobby to highlight the “negative impact” the move would have on the sector.

Aito chairman Derek Moore said an anticipated ban on card charges would “seriously affect [the] livelihoods” of agents and operators and would mark a “backward step” for consumer confidence.

He added that Aito had been “burning the midnight oil” in order to send its response to ministers and argued that imposing a card surcharging ban would see “2% straight off the bottom line” of agents’ profits – a figure Moore believed to be “vital to their survival”.

Elsewhere, Gary Lewis, chief executive of The Travel Network Group, said the consortium was taking the potential changes “absolutely seriously”.

Lewis said plans included canvassing its supplier partners to hear their positions on charging and “looking into the legalities” of adding booking fees to offset costs accrued by the loss of surcharges.