Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

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Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by SSSS »

We've known for a while that this was coming, but the time is now upon us.

Starting tomorrow, it will be legal for merchants in most states to pass along swipe fees to customers who use credit cards.

It's thought that the majority of merchants (especially large chains) will not be imposing these fees, but I think it would be informative to share reports of any fees encountered.

A common argument is that this will benefit cash/check/debit customers, because merchants who impose this fee will lower their prices, so it'll also be interesting to find out if that actually happens (place your bets now).

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/credit-c ... d=18316310

http://www.consumer-action.org/download ... t_fees.pdf

Exempt states:
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Texas
Requirements for imposing the fee:
To avoid surprising consumers with the new fee, retailers
must provide “clear disclosure” (such as signage) of any
checkout fees:

* at the store entrance,
* at the point of sale, offline and online, and
* on the customer’s receipt.

The disclosure on the receipt must list the amount of the
checkout fee, the fact that the merchant is imposing the
charge and that the fee is not greater than what it costs
the retailer to accept credit and charge cards.
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by sscritic »

SSSS wrote: Exempt states:
Interesting word choice. These states are still part of the United States and merchants in those states are not exempt from federal law. They are also subject to state law (again, not exempt). From your link:
Checkout fees are illegal and, therefore, not allowed in 10 states. The laws of each state would determine whether it would be legal for companies based in other states to charge residents of its state. Residents of these states who encounter retailer checkout fees can report them to the state attorney general.
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by Jack »

sscritic wrote:Interesting word choice. These states are still part of the United States and merchants in those states are not exempt from federal law. They are also subject to state law (again, not exempt).
This new policy isn't the result of new law. It is the result of a settlement in private antitrust litigation between two sets of businesses -- large retailers as plaintiffs and credit card companies as defendants. A private litigation settlement does not override state law.
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by SSSS »

One point I'm not entirely sure on -- I've verified that PIN-based debit card transactions will not be subject to fees, but I'm not sure about signature-based debit card transactions. I've seen some sources saying they'll be exempt, and some saying they'll be subject to the fees, but at the lowest rate (i.e. 1.5%).

So if you have a debit card that you only run as credit & don't know the PIN for, it might be beneficial to call the bank and reset the PIN to something you know. Then you'll have a good backup payment method if you encounter a merchant with this fee and it's not convenient to go elsewhere. I have a rewards checking account with a debit card I have to use 12 times a month, but I never learned the PIN, so I'm planning on getting that sorted out on Monday.

I've also heard that rewards credit cards will be subjected to the highest 4% rate, so a non-rewards card may be a feasible backup as well.
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by jeffyscott »

More details in this story:
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/attenti ... -1C8086499

Including:
Credit card surcharges are banned by law in 10 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

Visa and MasterCard have rules that require retailers to handle credit cards the same way in all of their stores across the country. That means a chain with stores in any of the 10 states where a surcharge is banned would not be able to have a surcharge at any of its stores.
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by SSSS »

jeffyscott wrote:Visa and MasterCard have rules that require retailers to handle credit cards the same way in all of their stores across the country. That means a chain with stores in any of the 10 states where a surcharge is banned would not be able to have a surcharge at any of its stores.[/i]
I wonder how this would work with independently-owned franchises, where the individual stores have their own merchant account. I know a lot of restaurant chains are like that.
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by sscritic »

Jack wrote:
sscritic wrote:Interesting word choice. These states are still part of the United States and merchants in those states are not exempt from federal law. They are also subject to state law (again, not exempt).
This new policy isn't the result of new law. It is the result of a settlement in private antitrust litigation between two sets of businesses -- large retailers as plaintiffs and credit card companies as defendants. A private litigation settlement does not override state law.
I use exempt in two situations:

1) there is a requirement that applies, except for those that are exempt. For example, interest is taxed, except for exempt interest.

2) there is a prohibition that applies, except for those that are exempt. For example, during prohibition, alcohol was prohibited except for use in religious ceremonies.

In this case, some people are being given permission. I have no idea what it means to be exempt from a permission. I permit my grandchildren to have a scoop of ice cream for dessert when the come over to my house. If I exempt the four year old, does that mean she gets no scoops or that she gets two? I have no idea. I still think exempt is an interesting word choice in this situation.
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by Browser »

I wonder how this is going to affect those high interest paying checking accounts (such as I have). They require you to make a minimum of 12 credit card transactions per month to qualify for your interest; meaning that the swipe fees are subsidizing this. If they are no longer collecting as much in swipe fees, will this affect the interest rate these accounts pay?
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by jeffyscott »

Browser wrote:I wonder how this is going to affect those high interest paying checking accounts (such as I have). They require you to make a minimum of 12 credit card transactions per month...
Isn't it debit card transactions that they typically require? Those have been limited for over a year now, but small banks were exempted.

I don't see any big banks on this list: http://www.depositaccounts.com/checking ... ounts.html

If, rather than tacking on surcharges, merchants are able to negotiate lower credit card transaction fees as a result of this settlement, then I would expect to see credit card rebates and sign up bonuses to decline.

Handling cash is not free either, perhaps the credit card transaction fees will ultimately drop to the point where the costs are about equal to the cost of handling cash. For small, independent, businesses (which may not report all cash receipts) the cost of handling cash could be much less than it is for larger businesses such as national retail chains.
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by JamesSFO »

In addition to the "problem" for national retailers with a presence in any of the 10 states, any merchant that takes Amex will not be able to impose a charge either due to Amex's policy.

So basically, only non-national retailers who only take Visa/MC could potentially impose a charge.
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Post by JamesSFO »

Here's a great summary of why this is much ado about nothing http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfromt ... ut-little/
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Post by SSSS »

JamesSFO wrote:In addition to the "problem" for national retailers with a presence in any of the 10 states, any merchant that takes Amex will not be able to impose a charge either due to Amex's policy
Places that take Amex won't be able to impose surcharges even on Visa/MasterCard users? Or is it just Amex users they won't be able to impose the charge on?
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Post by jeffyscott »

There seems to be conflicting information on Amex, the NBC article that I had linked above says Amex prohibits surcharging, others say they permit it, but...

American Express has its own rule that says merchants must treat every form of electronic payment equally — and that means that to add the surcharge to American Express transactions, the merchant would have to add it to every other card it accepted, including debit cards. But both Visa and MasterCard prohibit surcharges on debit cards — Catch-22! — which effectively means merchants cannot add a surcharge to any transaction.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfromt ... urcharges/

and yet another version of the facts, that includes Discover requiring equal treatment like Amex, is here: http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfromt ... -payments/
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Post by mickeyd »

I was glad to see that TX retailers will not be making a charge for CC use since we use our Discovercard for about 99% of money spent. My favorite liquor store ( Spec's) does give a 5% discout for using cash/debit card.
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Post by stoub »

SSSS wrote:Exempt states:
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Texas
Paying a surcharge for credit card usage appears to be completely different from a legal perspective than receiving a discount for paying in cash, even though the reality in pricing could be exactly the same; see "Credit Card Surcharges vs. Cash Discounts". Most of the 10 states that prohibit credit card surcharges explicitly allow cash discounts per Visa's citation of their state laws.
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Post by tfb »

SSSS wrote:
JamesSFO wrote:In addition to the "problem" for national retailers with a presence in any of the 10 states, any merchant that takes Amex will not be able to impose a charge either due to Amex's policy
Places that take Amex won't be able to impose surcharges even on Visa/MasterCard users? Or is it just Amex users they won't be able to impose the charge on?
Just AmEx. When retailers can pass on the cost for Visa/MasterCard but must absorb the cost for AmEx, what would they do?
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Post by momar »

How much money does it cost these stores, especially a place like a grocery store with long lines, to handle cash and checks?

Bite your nose and all.
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Post by SSSS »

momar wrote:How much money does it cost these stores, especially a place like a grocery store with long lines, to handle cash and checks?
Or how many more armed robberies will take place at businesses that hang up signs on the door essentially announcing that they deal primarily in cash?
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Post by jeffyscott »

momar wrote:How much money does it cost these stores, especially a place like a grocery store with long lines, to handle cash and checks?

Bite your nose and all.
By the same token, what does it cost the banks to process transactions? I doubt it is anywhere near the 2-3% that is being charged. In Australia, they apparently reduced these interchange fees from 0.95% to 0.5% a decade ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interchang ... ew_Zealand
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Post by Jack »

momar wrote:How much money does it cost these stores, especially a place like a grocery store with long lines, to handle cash and checks?
Turns out that there is a excellent way to find out. It's called a free market and price discovery. Under the new rules retailers will be able to discover exactly how much credit card transactions are worth to them and how much they are willing to avoid fees by taking cash. Some retailers may decide to split the difference, charging half the transaction fee for credit cards, depending their own judgement of the value of credit card transactions. It also allows customers to transparently decide if they are willing to pay a 2% to 4% sales tax for the convenience of plastic. The old conditions imposed by the Visa/Mastercard duopoly prevented a free market in credit card transactions. There are still too many restrictions imposed by the credit card companies, but at least this is a small step in the right direction.
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Post by JamesSFO »

Jack wrote: Turns out that there is a excellent way to find out. It's called a free market and price discovery. Under the new rules retailers will be able to discover exactly how much credit card transactions are worth to them and how much they are willing to avoid fees by taking cash. Some retailers may decide to split the difference, charging half the transaction fee for credit cards, depending their own judgement of the value of credit card transactions. It also allows customers to transparently decide if they are willing to pay a 2% to 4% sales tax for the convenience of plastic. The old conditions imposed by the Visa/Mastercard duopoly prevented a free market in credit card transactions. There are still too many restrictions imposed by the credit card companies, but at least this is a small step in the right direction.
Given that any national retailer will be unable to avail themselves of this it hardly seems likely that this will change much.

Further, studies from Australia where fees are allowed suggest that the fees mostly hurt consumers.
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Post by tfb »

JamesSFO wrote:Further, studies from Australia where fees are allowed suggest that the fees mostly hurt consumers.
Those studies were funded by the card companies.
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Post by jeffyscott »

JamesSFO wrote:Further, studies from Australia where fees are allowed suggest that the fees mostly hurt consumers.
The current system in the US hurts consumers who don't use credit cards, forcing them to subsidize consumers (like myself) who not only use the cards, but collect cash, airline tickets, etc.

But banks in the United States warn that, as in Australia, American consumers may see the costs of using a credit card rise, and the benefits decline, if Congress passes legislation to reduce interchange fees. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/your- ... d=all&_r=0

Yes, those who insist on continuing to use credit cards, should we become like Australia, would pay higher costs. People like me would lose the freebies we've been getting. Sensible people would simply switch to debit and cash.

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Post by Rainier »

I dare anyone to charge me a surcharge to use my credit card. I have too many choices, ill just go somewhere else.
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Post by JamesSFO »

jeffyscott wrote:
Yes, those who insist on continuing to use credit cards, should we become like Australia, would pay higher costs. People like me would lose the freebies we've been getting. Sensible people would simply switch to debit and cash.
Actually there are more negatives beyond the reward card holding bunch, see http://www.laweconcenter.org/images/art ... change.pdf.
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Post by momar »

jeffyscott wrote:
The current system in the US hurts consumers who don't use credit cards, forcing them to subsidize consumers (like myself) who not only use the cards, but collect cash, airline tickets, etc.
Stop forcing me to subsidize paper money and coins and all the costs that go along with handling/counting/securing/moving them.
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Post by Jack »

JamesSFO wrote:Actually there are more negatives beyond the reward card holding bunch, see http://www.laweconcenter.org/images/art ... change.pdf.
Uh, you do realize that this study was paid for by Mastercard, don't you?
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Post by SSSS »

momar wrote:Stop forcing me to subsidize paper money and coins
What, you don't enjoy carrying around a slightly moist wad of bacteria, viruses, assorted bodily fluids, and cocaine residue? :twisted:
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Post by momar »

Jack wrote:
momar wrote:How much money does it cost these stores, especially a place like a grocery store with long lines, to handle cash and checks?
Turns out that there is a excellent way to find out. It's called a free market and price discovery. Under the new rules retailers will be able to discover exactly how much credit card transactions are worth to them and how much they are willing to avoid fees by taking cash. Some retailers may decide to split the difference, charging half the transaction fee for credit cards, depending their own judgement of the value of credit card transactions. It also allows customers to transparently decide if they are willing to pay a 2% to 4% sales tax for the convenience of plastic. The old conditions imposed by the Visa/Mastercard duopoly prevented a free market in credit card transactions. There are still too many restrictions imposed by the credit card companies, but at least this is a small step in the right direction.
As mentioned, stores are already free to give cash discounts. Almost none do.
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Post by Jack »

momar wrote:
jeffyscott wrote:
The current system in the US hurts consumers who don't use credit cards, forcing them to subsidize consumers (like myself) who not only use the cards, but collect cash, airline tickets, etc.
Stop forcing me to subsidize paper money and coins and all the costs that go along with handling/counting/securing/moving them.
Nobody is forcing you to do anything. The new rules give you a choice which you didn't have before. A choice is exactly the opposite of force.
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Post by momar »

Jack wrote:
momar wrote:
jeffyscott wrote:
The current system in the US hurts consumers who don't use credit cards, forcing them to subsidize consumers (like myself) who not only use the cards, but collect cash, airline tickets, etc.
Stop forcing me to subsidize paper money and coins and all the costs that go along with handling/counting/securing/moving them.
Nobody is forcing you to do anything. The new rules give you a choice which you didn't have before. A choice is exactly the opposite of force.
People who continue to use cash instead of switching to electronic payment increase the costs to business and society as a whole associated with the use of cash. Because we all pay the same prices, it seems pretty obvious that I have to pay for that Brinks truck out front.

How do you calculate the deadweight loss to society when we all go to the ATM every couple days? The cost of having extra ATMs? The increased time waiting in line or waiting for a gas pump?
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Post by tfb »

momar wrote:Stop forcing me to subsidize paper money and coins and all the costs that go along with handling/counting/securing/moving them.
Cash handling/counting/securing/moving is a red herring. The true competition to credit cards is debit cards. If debit cards are discounted people naturally shift to debit cards, not cash. Let people have a real choice between debit card discount and credit card rewards.
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Post by JamesSFO »

tfb wrote:
momar wrote:Stop forcing me to subsidize paper money and coins and all the costs that go along with handling/counting/securing/moving them.
Cash handling/counting/securing/moving is a red herring. The true competition to credit cards is debit cards. If debit cards are discounted people naturally shift to debit cards, not cash. Let people have a real choice between debit card discount and credit card rewards.
As the econ policy paper I posted up a bit shows there is an independent value to the credit component that is not present in debit cards. But I do concur that debit-credit card is perhaps a better trade off point.
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Post by Jack »

momar wrote:People who continue to use cash instead of switching to electronic payment increase the costs to business and society as a whole associated with the use of cash. Because we all pay the same prices, it seems pretty obvious that I have to pay for that Brinks truck out front.
You are making claims out of thin air. You see, there is a very good way of determining those costs you hypothesize. Free markets make a choice and optimize efficiency. If retailers decide that paying 2% to 4% of their revenues to credit card companies is cheaper than handling cash, then they will make that choice. If they find that it is not worth giving up 2% to 4% of their revenues to credit card companies rather than handle cash, then they will make that choice. Consumers also get a choice of whether they want to pay a 2% to 4% sales tax on all of their purchases. You will have your choice of patronizing all cash/debit or all credit businesses. Free markets are about choice. Granted, the credit card market is still far from a free market because of other anti-competitive restrictions.

And as tbf points out, the real battle is not between cash and credit -- it is between debit and credit. Previously you were forced to pay the same amount when using debit and credit, even though debit fees are much lower.
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Post by SSSS »

Arguments aside, have their been any actual swipe fee sightings today?

I did some news searches and found a lot of articles about the situation, but couldn't find confirmation of any implementations yet.
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Post by crowd79 »

These businesses that charge a 4% fee on top of my CC purchases will lose my business. Take note of it now, Retailers. :twisted:
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Post by Jack »

crowd79 wrote:These businesses that charge a 4% fee on top of my CC purchases will lose my business. Take note of it now, Retailers. :twisted:
They are already charging you for it at every business you patronize and apparently you didn't know it. You just can't see it because the Visa and Mastercard rules are intended to conceal it from you. Wouldn't it be nice to see it up front and have a choice whether you want to pay it or choose a different business? You couldn't do that under the old rules.
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Post by epilnk »

Am I misunderstanding something here? These fees are already being levied on the transaction and the credit card company is taking their cut of every credit card purchase you make. It's like the employer portion of the payroll deduction tax; the difference between what the employer pays and you receive can be considered a tax on your salary even if it doesn't all show up on your W2.

My understanding was that this legislation just makes these fees more visible, allowing the merchant to break them out separately and allowing the consumer to choose whether to pay them. So to me this seems like a good thing.
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Post by momar »

Jack wrote:
momar wrote:People who continue to use cash instead of switching to electronic payment increase the costs to business and society as a whole associated with the use of cash. Because we all pay the same prices, it seems pretty obvious that I have to pay for that Brinks truck out front.
You are making claims out of thin air. You see, there is a very good way of determining those costs you hypothesize. Free markets make a choice and optimize efficiency. If retailers decide that paying 2% to 4% of their revenues to credit card companies is cheaper than handling cash, then they will make that choice. If they find that it is not worth giving up 2% to 4% of their revenues to credit card companies rather than handle cash, then they will make that choice. Consumers also get a choice of whether they want to pay a 2% to 4% sales tax on all of their purchases. You will have your choice of patronizing all cash/debit or all credit businesses. Free markets are about choice. Granted, the credit card market is still far from a free market because of other anti-competitive restrictions.

And as tbf points out, the real battle is not between cash and credit -- it is between debit and credit. Previously you were forced to pay the same amount when using debit and credit, even though debit fees are much lower.
I wasn't aware that anyone forced businesses to take credit.
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Post by epilnk »

Jack wrote:They are already charging you for it at every business you patronize and apparently you didn't know it. You just can't see it because the Visa and Mastercard rules are intended to conceal it from you. Wouldn't it be nice to see it up front and have a choice whether you want to pay it or choose a different business? You couldn't do that under the old rules.
We posted at the same time. :sharebeer
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Post by SSSS »

epilnk wrote:Am I misunderstanding something here?
It remains to be seen whether the merchants that choose to take advantage of this settlement will actually lower their prices for cash customers.

At this point, it's just a theory.

Many believe that merchants will keep their prices the same for cash customers, and add the fee for credit card customers, meaning no customers win.

I think it's important to carefully observe which businesses choose to pass along the swipe fees, and note whether they lower their prices by a comparable amount. If not, they deserve to be called out on it.
Last edited by SSSS on Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by rkhusky »

momar wrote: As mentioned, stores are already free to give cash discounts. Almost none do.
Most gas stations in my area have cash discounts. The cashback on my credit card is currently more than the cash discount.
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Post by momar »

momar wrote:
Jack wrote:
momar wrote:People who continue to use cash instead of switching to electronic payment increase the costs to business and society as a whole associated with the use of cash. Because we all pay the same prices, it seems pretty obvious that I have to pay for that Brinks truck out front.
You are making claims out of thin air. You see, there is a very good way of determining those costs you hypothesize. Free markets make a choice and optimize efficiency. If retailers decide that paying 2% to 4% of their revenues to credit card companies is cheaper than handling cash, then they will make that choice. If they find that it is not worth giving up 2% to 4% of their revenues to credit card companies rather than handle cash, then they will make that choice. Consumers also get a choice of whether they want to pay a 2% to 4% sales tax on all of their purchases. You will have your choice of patronizing all cash/debit or all credit businesses. Free markets are about choice. Granted, the credit card market is still far from a free market because of other anti-competitive restrictions.

And as tbf points out, the real battle is not between cash and credit -- it is between debit and credit. Previously you were forced to pay the same amount when using debit and credit, even though debit fees are much lower.
I wasn't aware that anyone forced businesses to take credit.
I would also add that I don't think I am imagining those cash trucks I see.
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Jack
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by Jack »

momar wrote:I would also add that I don't think I am imagining those cash trucks I see.
However, you may be imagining that those drivers are skimming off 2% to 4% of everything they carry.
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momar
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by momar »

Jack wrote:
momar wrote:I would also add that I don't think I am imagining those cash trucks I see.
However, you may be imagining that those drivers are skimming off 2% to 4% of everything they carry.
They work for free?
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Furynation
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by Furynation »

SSSS wrote:
epilnk wrote:Am I misunderstanding something here?
It remains to be seen whether the merchants that choose to take advantage of this settlement will actually lower their prices for cash customers.

At this point, it's just a theory.

Many believe that merchants will keep their prices the same for cash customers, and add the fee for credit card customers, meaning no customers win.

I think it's important to carefully observe which businesses choose to pass along the swipe fees, and note whether they lower their prices by a comparable amount. If not, they deserve to be called out on it.
I've seen this happen already, at of all places, the vending machines in my office. There were signs posted earlier this week stating something along the lines of "Effective immediately, all credit card transactions will cost 10 cents more as the price listed in already lower than the retail price." Sure... no win for consumers.
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Karl
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by Karl »

momar wrote:How much money does it cost these stores, especially a place like a grocery store with long lines, to handle cash and checks?
I gather you've never been to Aldi, the deep-discount grocery chain where they don't take any credit cards. Their cashiers, who move with the speed of a Ninja, aren't slowed by cash.
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SSSS
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by SSSS »

Furynation wrote:I've seen this happen already, at of all places, the vending machines in my office. There were signs posted earlier this week stating something along the lines of "Effective immediately, all credit card transactions will cost 10 cents more as the price listed in already lower than the retail price." Sure... no win for consumers.
I'm having trouble parsing the grammar of that sign, but it sounds like they didn't actually lower their cash prices, they just increased their credit card prices? That's what a lot of people were afraid would happen. Also, it sounds like they breached their merchant agreement by implementing the change before today.
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JMacDonald
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by JMacDonald »

rkhusky wrote:
momar wrote: As mentioned, stores are already free to give cash discounts. Almost none do.
Most gas stations in my area have cash discounts. The cashback on my credit card is currently more than the cash discount.
ARCO gas stations in my area stopped taking credit cards over 25 years ago. The price of gas at an ARCO is usually about 10 cents a gallon cheaper. I always carry cash to buy gas at ARCO stations. If stores give me a discount to buy something with cash, then I will use cash at that store.
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mike143
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Re: Credit card swipe fees start Sunday 1/27

Post by mike143 »

Karl wrote:I gather you've never been to Aldi, the deep-discount grocery chain where they don't take any credit cards. Their cashiers, who move with the speed of a Ninja, aren't slowed by cash.
They take debt and "credit" from debt cards, they do have to punch 10 buttons to do the debt "credit" transaction. Only time I use debt is my banks ATM and when it gives a discount, 3% at gun shop.
rkhusky wrote:Most gas stations in my area have cash discounts. The cashback on my credit card is currently more than the cash discount.
The gas stations in my area that do not charge a separate price for cash or credit are cheaper than the ones that do, coupled with 5% PenFed I win.
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