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:
Requirements for imposing the fee:California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Texas
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.