News by Levels · Level 2 · Student worksheet

Watchdog Examines How Payment Costs Reach Shoppers

In this lesson: Connect merchant costs with the authority’s concern about visible prices.

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

Germany’s competition authority says PayPal’s ban on extra customer fees could weaken competition between payment services. Shops themselves pay fees to process payments.

The authority worries that customers cannot see differences in those costs. It has not issued a final decision, and PayPal can comment.

Source: Bundeskartellamt via FinanzNachrichten, 2026-11-11. https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2026-11/70099651-bundeskartellamt-paypal-koennte-wettbewerb-zwischen-zahlungsdiensten-behindern-019.htm

Read and practise

1. Who pays fees to process payments?

   1. The shops themselves
   2. Only the competition authority
   3. No one in the text

2. What worries the authority?

   1. Customers see every processing cost clearly
   2. All payment services charge the same amount
   3. Customers cannot see differences in those costs

Your turn

Explain the connection between the shops’ costs and the concern.

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/paypal-extra-fee-preliminary-assessment-november-2026/level-2/