New meal and food voucher rules expand operators accepted on machines
Changes to the Workers' Food Program came into force this Saturday (7) and establish a limit of 3.6% on the fee charged to establishments
Quick Look
- New rules for meal vouchers and food vouchers came into force this Saturday (7), allowing the same machine to accept cards from different operators.
- The measure establishes a maximum limit of 3.6% on the fee charged to establishments and reduces the period for transferring amounts to up to 15 days.
- It does not force all locations to accept the benefit nor does it increase its value.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The measure is part of a decree published a year ago that updated the Workers' Food Program (PAT). The regulation established a maximum limit of 3.6% for the fee charged to establishments and reduced the period for transferring sales amounts to up to 15 days.
The new rules for meal vouchers and food vouchers came into force this Saturday (7). From now on, the same machine can accept cards from different operators.
A coffee, the bill and the question: do you accept this or that meal voucher? And, sometimes, the restaurant has several machines, but the one that displays your card's flag is missing.
"Then you end up choosing some favorites, because you already know that you will be able to pay there with the benefit", points out Marcel Coqueiro, IT coordinator.
It is so that workers can eat or buy food in more places that this Saturday (7) a change in the rules of meal vouchers and food vouchers came into force.
Any machine capable of processing this type of payment will accept cards from different operators.
In a restaurant on Avenida Paulista, around 20% of meals are paid for with VR. The owner believes that, with more options in a single machine, everyone will win.
"I think more companies will enter this voucher business, okay? And for us it will be positive, for workers it will be positive and for everyone it will be positive."
The measure is part of the decree, published a year ago, which updated the Workers' Food Program.
The regulation also established a limit for the fee charged to establishments: a maximum of 3.6% and reduced the period for transferring sales amounts to up to 15 days.
The new rules do not oblige all places to accept the VR or food vouchers nor do they increase the value of the benefit for the worker.
In practice, a machine will only accept all cards if the establishment is enabled to do so with an integrated payment system.
In a statement, the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants (Abrasel) said that the market is not ready to put the change into practice from today and that the large companies consulted by the entity claim that they are not yet able to operate.
Lawyer Any Ganovez, a specialist in the area, recalls that the decree was published in November 2025, so that companies had time to prepare:
"The federal government is talking to all the companies involved so that these technological barriers can be overcome, so that interoperability can really come into force and benefit the worker."
Mila hopes that soon she will be able to enter any restaurant without worrying. "Without that little surprise when it's time to pay the bill, oops, I don't accept this flag, I don't accept this benefit."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
More companies will enter the food voucher business
Likely · Within months
Technological barriers to interoperability will be overcome
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- Which establishments are already enabled with an integrated payment system to accept all cards?
- What is the specific timeline for companies to overcome technological barriers?
- Which meal voucher and food voucher operators will participate in interoperability?
