Anonymous
08/12/2025 11:09
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I thought in some countries, like Iceland, the fees for credit card use are actually lower.
Yes, the EU and Australia, in particular, cap the interchange fees significantly. The credit card business model is very different in those places as a result, and very few cards have significant rewards programs, there is much less marketing, and more cards have annual fees.
In India they have something called UPI (completely free) which connects your bank account and your SIM to an app that allows you to make digital payments. Widely accepted - from the guy selling juice at a street corner to fancy jewellery stores to online retailers like Amazon. Money is transferred from my account to the payee's account the minute I scan so not clear to me how the banks that support this make money. Very few people have credit cards as a result and about half the establishments pass on the credit card fees back to you.
Anonymous
08/12/2025 10:05
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:I think fees to merchants actually HAVE gone up as more and more credit cards offer higher rewards and cash back. So basically if you don’t have a premium credit card with great rewards, you are helping subsidize everyone else who does.
this. And conversely (or in addition?) you are just paying lots of fees to get your own cash back.
Anonymous
08/12/2025 09:22
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:technically it is illegal to charge more for a credit card but no one is holding them accountable. Not handling cash and managing deposits is worth the 3% fee.
It is not illegal to charge more for a credit card.
Never was from a federal standpoint, although a couple of states had laws against it in the past. It was against credit card acceptance agreements, which are not laws. The Supreme Court wiped out those state laws in 2017.
https://www.klgates.com/US-Supreme-Court-Sides-with-Merchants-in-Credit-Card-Surcharge-Case-But-the-Fight-Isnt-Over-Yet-04-04-2017
What state has a law banning charging more for credit card users?
I guess it's possible, but it's insane.
NY's law was about transparent advertising of prices.
"N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 518––prohibits merchants from imposing a surcharge on customers who pay with a credit card but allows merchants to give discounts to customers who pay with cash or other forms of payment."
“Prohibits merchants from imposing a surcharge on customers who pay with credit card”
Seems to be pretty clear. A discount for cash is not the same as an extra fee for credit cards.
Those are, indeed, the same thing.
Anonymous
08/12/2025 08:41
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
I think fees to merchants actually HAVE gone up as more and more credit cards offer higher rewards and cash back. So basically if you don’t have a premium credit card with great rewards, you are helping subsidize everyone else who does.
Anonymous
08/12/2025 06:43
Subject: Re:Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
You want to be mad at Vendors / businesses like Arlington Soccer Association. Travel soccer fees are around $2,500 for the year. To charge by credit card, it was roughly $150 fee to use a credit card, well in excess of the credit card processing fee. I actually wrote a check since I could not justify that "convenience fee."
Anonymous
08/12/2025 06:09
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
I refuse to pay credit card fees that the merchant should be paying to offer payment convenience to their customers. But some places I can't walk cash over.
Is ACH safe? I have started to do that where available, but how is that different from a debit card? Which we were warned against. I'm giving them a pipeline to suck everything out of my checking account, essentially.
Is ACH safe? I have started to do that where available, but how is that different from a debit card? Which we were warned against. I'm giving them a pipeline to suck everything out of my checking account, essentially.
Anonymous
05/17/2025 22:19
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:
It defeats the purpose of using credit cards at all.
Is to spend money one doesn't have.
Use cash and you will never be in debt.
This. Economics 101
Agree with the previous poster that the number of merchants passing on the credit card fees to the consumer has gone up significantly lately.
Yet they have not. You just started noticing what they have always done.
Anonymous
05/17/2025 22:18
Subject: Re:Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:I have noticed in the past year that mom & pop takeout places near me are offering a discount (up to 10%) on cash payments.
That's the marketing gimmick alluded to earlier.
Anonymous
05/17/2025 09:00
Subject: Re:Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
I have noticed in the past year that mom & pop takeout places near me are offering a discount (up to 10%) on cash payments.
Anonymous
05/11/2025 08:47
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
It defeats the purpose of using credit cards at all.
Is to spend money one doesn't have.
Use cash and you will never be in debt.
This. Economics 101
I, and most people I know use credit cards to get the rewards points for travel, not because we don't have the money to spend. Agree with the previous poster that the number of merchants passing on the credit card fees to the consumer has gone up significantly lately.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 22:59
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I get that the merchant faces processing fees and prefers a check. When I can, I write a check. I still have checks.
But how do they justify charging as a PERCENT? It should be a flat transaction fee! So the more I spend, the more it costs them to process my credit card? We tried to buy online tickets for a charity gala, and of course they don't want credit card fees to offset their fundraising, but as we clicked up to "platinum table tickets" or whatever, the fees for the tickets went up to like $250! Guess who didn't buy charity tickets.
How can you be someone who is blowing $$$ on a charity gala but not know credit cards charge a percentage from each merchant??
Because it is only very recently that merchants are passing them along to customers.
It defeats the purpose of using credit cards at all.
Is to spend money one doesn't have.
Use cash and you will never be in debt.
This. Economics 101
Anonymous
05/07/2025 22:58
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I get that the merchant faces processing fees and prefers a check. When I can, I write a check. I still have checks.
But how do they justify charging as a PERCENT? It should be a flat transaction fee! So the more I spend, the more it costs them to process my credit card? We tried to buy online tickets for a charity gala, and of course they don't want credit card fees to offset their fundraising, but as we clicked up to "platinum table tickets" or whatever, the fees for the tickets went up to like $250! Guess who didn't buy charity tickets.
How can you be someone who is blowing $$$ on a charity gala but not know credit cards charge a percentage from each merchant??
Because it is only very recently that merchants are passing them along to customers.
It defeats the purpose of using credit cards at all.
What fantasy land do you live in? That has ALWAYS been the case.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 22:57
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:technically it is illegal to charge more for a credit card but no one is holding them accountable. Not handling cash and managing deposits is worth the 3% fee.
It is not illegal to charge more for a credit card.
Never was from a federal standpoint, although a couple of states had laws against it in the past. It was against credit card acceptance agreements, which are not laws. The Supreme Court wiped out those state laws in 2017.
https://www.klgates.com/US-Supreme-Court-Sides-with-Merchants-in-Credit-Card-Surcharge-Case-But-the-Fight-Isnt-Over-Yet-04-04-2017
What state has a law banning charging more for credit card users?
I guess it's possible, but it's insane.
NY's law was about transparent advertising of prices.
"N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 518––prohibits merchants from imposing a surcharge on customers who pay with a credit card but allows merchants to give discounts to customers who pay with cash or other forms of payment."
“Prohibits merchants from imposing a surcharge on customers who pay with credit card”
Seems to be pretty clear. A discount for cash is not the same as an extra fee for credit cards.
Raise price across the board, give "discount" for cash.
Marketing terms.
Anonymous
05/07/2025 15:34
Subject: Credit Card Fees passed through from merchant
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:technically it is illegal to charge more for a credit card but no one is holding them accountable. Not handling cash and managing deposits is worth the 3% fee.
It is not illegal to charge more for a credit card.
Never was from a federal standpoint, although a couple of states had laws against it in the past. It was against credit card acceptance agreements, which are not laws. The Supreme Court wiped out those state laws in 2017.
https://www.klgates.com/US-Supreme-Court-Sides-with-Merchants-in-Credit-Card-Surcharge-Case-But-the-Fight-Isnt-Over-Yet-04-04-2017
What state has a law banning charging more for credit card users?
I guess it's possible, but it's insane.
NY's law was about transparent advertising of prices.
"N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 518––prohibits merchants from imposing a surcharge on customers who pay with a credit card but allows merchants to give discounts to customers who pay with cash or other forms of payment."
“Prohibits merchants from imposing a surcharge on customers who pay with credit card”
Seems to be pretty clear. A discount for cash is not the same as an extra fee for credit cards.