Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately cost of doing business is going up. Businesses don't want to raise prices directly risking demand. So they now come up with all kind of fees. And the names that they come up with for these fees is going to be more and more desperate.

Anonymous wrote:I was paying my child's oral surgeon who makes you pay a surcharge for using a credit card so I brought a check and they told me they could only accept cash. I pointed out on their website that they said they took checks (that's the only reason I even had one with me) and they were like "yeah, we need to update that..." So I had to run out to the bank and pull out $800 cause no way in hell was I paying 3% on that. Ridiculous.

My own dentist now also charges the surcharge. I wouldn't mind using my debit card but I don't have one. It's only an ATM card. So now I have to change that to a debit card to try to avoid those fees or deal with the hassle of getting out hundreds of dollars in cash all the time.

I mostly started noticing this at the beach a couple of years ago and now it's moving this way. It's the worst.

My HOA also charges a credit card AND ACH fee so now they get mailed a check from my bank. They can deal with the hassle of all that if they want to charge a fee for other forms of payment.

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Anonymous wrote:Credit card points should be illegal and cc fees should be capped at a low percentage.

Why should points be illegal?

Points should be illegal and I don't understand why so many people use them. For one thing, there is no guarantee that they will hold their value. My bank just sent me a letter saying that points are now worth $200 per 20,000 instead of $250, or something similar. When the bank (or airline!) can arbitrarily change their value, it puts the consumer at risk and allows the bank to encourage people to use their card with the promise of a certain amount of return but not give that return.

That’s why the name of the game is “earn and burn!” There is a fairly high barrier to entry in the points game in the form of knowledge and understanding of the way it all works and how to maximize value. It’s like planning a trip to Disney World. It takes a lot of time to maximize it. I would consider myself intermediate/advanced at both, but it’s essentially a part-time job, with the amount of time I spend on points redemption and travel planning. I save a ton of money and we do take awesome trips though. But I consider it fun and I don’t really have other hobbies.

Even if you don't "use it fast", points are beneficial. Most places (except a few smaller businesses) do not offer a cash discount/charge more for using the CC. So between that and convenience, if I'm going to use a card, I'm going to get something back, if they offer it.
Why not?

I put my new roof on 2 credit cards a few years ago. The company didn't charge me more (and didn't offer a "cash/check" discount), so I spread the $50K+ across 2 cards and earned my perks. It would be dumb not to (I had the $$ to pay it off)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Credit card points should be illegal and cc fees should be capped at a low percentage.

Why should points be illegal?

Points should be illegal and I don't understand why so many people use them. For one thing, there is no guarantee that they will hold their value. My bank just sent me a letter saying that points are now worth $200 per 20,000 instead of $250, or something similar. When the bank (or airline!) can arbitrarily change their value, it puts the consumer at risk and allows the bank to encourage people to use their card with the promise of a certain amount of return but not give that return.

That’s why the name of the game is “earn and burn!” There is a fairly high barrier to entry in the points game in the form of knowledge and understanding of the way it all works and how to maximize value. It’s like planning a trip to Disney World. It takes a lot of time to maximize it. I would consider myself intermediate/advanced at both, but it’s essentially a part-time job, with the amount of time I spend on points redemption and travel planning. I save a ton of money and we do take awesome trips though. But I consider it fun and I don’t really have other hobbies.

Even if you don't "use it fast", points are beneficial. Most places (except a few smaller businesses) do not offer a cash discount/charge more for using the CC. So between that and convenience, if I'm going to use a card, I'm going to get something back, if they offer it.
Why not?

I put my new roof on 2 credit cards a few years ago. The company didn't charge me more (and didn't offer a "cash/check" discount), so I spread the $50K+ across 2 cards and earned my perks. It would be dumb not to (I had the $$ to pay it off)

I think you were overcharged. Just put a new roof on our 4700sf house and it was $16k. We got 3 quotes and all were similar.

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Anonymous wrote:A lot of small businesses that don't charge a fee for cc, just build the cost of the fee into their pricing.

This has always been the best way, or to offer a discount for cash.

Dumb consumers tend to get mad at a business owner passing the CC cost on to the customer, but what do they expect them to do, lose money because a customer is too lazy to use cash? Best to just hide the fees in the cost.

Cash comes with its own costs. You have to pay employees to make bank runs, or arrange for secure trucks to deliver your change and take your cash deposits. “Shrinkage” is real. Employees can’t count, bills stick to each other, counterfeits are very good, and the banks screw up the coming or going all the time.

There is simply no cost free way to do business. None.

businesses prefer cash to do tax fraud, there should be a law of junk fees that does not let businesses charge differently for card or cash etc its really annoying

No small businesses prefer cash to avoid paying the CC fees. They can be 100% honest businesses, just trying to survive and not pay 3-4% to the CC companies

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Credit card points should be illegal and cc fees should be capped at a low percentage.

Why should points be illegal?

Points should be illegal and I don't understand why so many people use them. For one thing, there is no guarantee that they will hold their value. My bank just sent me a letter saying that points are now worth $200 per 20,000 instead of $250, or something similar. When the bank (or airline!) can arbitrarily change their value, it puts the consumer at risk and allows the bank to encourage people to use their card with the promise of a certain amount of return but not give that return.

That’s why the name of the game is “earn and burn!” There is a fairly high barrier to entry in the points game in the form of knowledge and understanding of the way it all works and how to maximize value. It’s like planning a trip to Disney World. It takes a lot of time to maximize it. I would consider myself intermediate/advanced at both, but it’s essentially a part-time job, with the amount of time I spend on points redemption and travel planning. I save a ton of money and we do take awesome trips though. But I consider it fun and I don’t really have other hobbies.

Even if you don't "use it fast", points are beneficial. Most places (except a few smaller businesses) do not offer a cash discount/charge more for using the CC. So between that and convenience, if I'm going to use a card, I'm going to get something back, if they offer it.
Why not?

I put my new roof on 2 credit cards a few years ago. The company didn't charge me more (and didn't offer a "cash/check" discount), so I spread the $50K+ across 2 cards and earned my perks. It would be dumb not to (I had the $$ to pay it off)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of small businesses that don't charge a fee for cc, just build the cost of the fee into their pricing.

This has always been the best way, or to offer a discount for cash.

Dumb consumers tend to get mad at a business owner passing the CC cost on to the customer, but what do they expect them to do, lose money because a customer is too lazy to use cash? Best to just hide the fees in the cost.

Cash comes with its own costs. You have to pay employees to make bank runs, or arrange for secure trucks to deliver your change and take your cash deposits. “Shrinkage” is real. Employees can’t count, bills stick to each other, counterfeits are very good, and the banks screw up the coming or going all the time.

There is simply no cost free way to do business. None.

businesses prefer cash to do tax fraud, there should be a law of junk fees that does not let businesses charge differently for card or cash etc its really annoying

Anonymous wrote:I feel increasingly annoyed at the 3% credit card fees being levied by retailers, the doctor's office, contractors doing work in my home, etc. Everyone looking for more money! Is this because of tariffs? To avoid increasing costs on the goods themselves? If I pay cash, it just mitigates the advantages of having the credit cards in the first place with the points and all. I will just get rid of my credit cards.

Just very annoying. Is anyone else seeing a dramatic increase on these? Are you using your debit cards more instead?

Anonymous wrote:Used to just be a cost of doing business.
I
I'd rather receive a cash discount and have the fees rolled in.