A no-deal Brexit! How would it affect your finances?
How will your everyday banking, credit card fees and online shopping change?
The possibility that Britain could leave the European Union without a deal in March 2019 is “uncomfortably high,” according to Bank of England chief Mark Carney.
In a worse-case scenario, which Carney stressed was not a prediction but preparation, involves property prices going down by more than a third, interest rates going up by almost 4%, unemployment rising to 9% and the economy going into a 4% recession.
Credit Cards
In January last year (2018), EU rules banned retailers from charging customers a fee to use Visa and Mastercard credit or debit cards. The UK also passed its own legislation which meant the surcharge ban is to stay for UK purchases. But following a no-deal Brexit could mean buying goods from the EU, or EU-based companies are no longer protected. European companies, including airlines and travel providers could re-introduce these charges and therefore increase the price for the UK customers.
Euros
If you are buying goods from the EU you could be hit with higher transaction costs.
In the UK many financial services regulations are drawn from EU legislation. If the UK loses access to these systems it’s likely to impact on banks’ access to the European payments infrastructure.
For you this means it could take longer to transfer money to Europe, or to pay for a purchase in euros. This could also be the case if you earn money from an EU-based company, you might experience issues when being paid.
European market access
There is an agreement known as “passporting” that allows European operators to offer services in other EU jurisdictions which UK banks and financial service providers benefit from.
The UK has agreed to extend passports to EU firms in the UK, therefore if your bank is EU-based it shall continue operating for up to 3 years. However the EU has not yet made this same offer.
This means if you live overseas but bank with a UK provider you might experience issues along with services being withdrawn.
There is a possibility of ex-pats losing access to lending, deposit or pension services. The only thing that is currently secured is your state pension. Following an agreement made in September 2017, between the UK and EU means your state pension will continue to increase at the same rate as if you lived in the UK.
Scammers
Those affected by Brexit will need to be contacted by financial services and depending where you or your firm is based, the type of business and services you offer will impact how you are contacted. This can present a perfect opportunities for scammers to try and take advantage.
You should beware if contacted out of the blue via phone, email or text requesting personal details or if you’re pressured to respond quickly. If you are approached in this way we’d advise contacting your financial service provider using the official contact information on its website and ask them to verify the message you have received is genuine.
Consumers protection
If the UK were to face a no-deal Brexit, consumers may not notice much change at all in the event, but could be shocked to learn the potential consequences down the line.
Who really knows for sure if we’ll be better off after Brexit… What is clear, is there will be negative effects should we leave the EU without a deal.