Mero Rides Payments & Wallet Policy

1. Payment Methods

We may support some or all of the following:

• Card payments (credit or debit) processed via Stripe or another authorised payment provider.
• Wallet or points (for example, USA Points) that can be used to settle specific charges inside the Mero Rides ecosystem.

When you add a card or confirm a payment:

• You authorise us and our payment provider to charge the amounts shown in the app, including fares, fees, penalties, and applicable taxes.
• We do not store full card numbers or CVV on our servers. Those details are handled and stored by Stripe or another regulated payment processor.

2. Wallet And USA Points

2.1 Nature Of The Wallet

• The wallet or points balance is not a bank account or general stored-value card.
• It is a product-specific balance used only within Mero Rides (for example, to pay off negative balances or certain ride-related amounts).

2.2 Loading And Deducting

• You may load funds or points into the wallet where this is enabled.
• The app will always show you the amount that will be charged and the new wallet balance once a top-up succeeds.
• We may deduct amounts from your wallet or future payouts (for drivers) to:
  • Settle ride fares or charges you owe
  • Clear negative balances or penalties
  • Correct billing issues, fraud, or abuse, as permitted by law and our Terms

3. Stripe And Payment Security

• All card payments are processed through Stripe, a third-party payment processor.
• We only receive and store limited payment metadata needed to operate the service, such as:
  • PaymentIntent or transaction identifiers
  • Result statuses (succeeded, pending, failed)
  • Limited card information (for example, last4 and brand), where needed to show which card was used
• We do not see or store your full card number or CVV.

For more details on how Stripe handles data, please see Stripe’s own privacy and security documentation.

4. Charges, Adjustments, And Disputes

4.1 Types Of Charges

Depending on your role and usage, you may see:

• Trip fares and associated fees
• Tolls, surcharges, or service fees
• Penalties (for example, repeated no-shows, policy violations) where allowed and communicated
• Adjustments (e.g. discounts or credits)

4.2 Incorrect Or Disputed Charges

If you believe a charge is incorrect:

• Contact us via the support channels in the app as soon as possible.
• Provide details about the trip, the amount you expected, and any supporting information.

We will investigate and, if we determine a mistake occurred, may:

• Reverse or correct the charge.
• Apply a credit to your wallet or card where appropriate.

If you dispute a charge directly with your bank or card provider (a chargeback), we may temporarily suspend access to some payment features while the dispute is investigated.

5. Refunds

Refund eligibility depends on:

• The specific situation (for example, cancellation timing, service not provided, technical issues).
• Local laws and organisational policies.

Examples where a partial or full refund may be considered include:

• You were charged for a trip that was never started or completed due to a clear service failure.
• A technical error caused a duplicate or incorrect charge.

Examples where refunds are generally not provided include:

• You changed your mind after a trip was completed as expected.
• Penalties or deductions applied in line with clearly communicated policies.

Where a refund is granted, it will typically be:

• Returned to the original payment method, or
• Credited to your wallet/points balance, depending on the circumstances and system capabilities.

6. Driver Earnings, Deductions, And Payouts

For drivers:

• Earnings from completed trips will be displayed in the app, along with any adjustments or deductions.
• We may offset:
  • Outstanding penalties or negative wallet balances
  • Prior overpayments or corrections
  • Other amounts described in the driver/volunteer agreement or communicated policies
• Payout schedules and methods (for example, bank transfer via Stripe) will be communicated separately in the driver documentation or the app.

7. Data And Privacy

Payment and wallet data is processed in line with our Privacy Policy, which describes:

• What data we collect (for example, wallet transactions, Stripe PaymentIntent IDs)
• How long we keep payment and transaction records
• With whom we share this data (for example, Stripe, accounting providers)

We retain transaction and wallet records for as long as required by law, accounting standards, and fraud-prevention needs, even if you request account deletion.

8. Changes To This Policy

We may update this Payments & Wallet Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date above and may notify you in the app or by other reasonable means.

If you continue to use payment and wallet features after the changes take effect, you are deemed to have accepted the updated policy.