Comment on Every payment option has a fee
Soulphite@reddthat.com 3 days ago
There must be a way to pay without fee. It might be more work for you, but it’s definitely more work for them, hence the “convenience” aspect of the fee.
In the US, some citizens go to physical locations to pay fines in coins. Hundreds of dollars in coins is very inconvenient to the establishment but they have to legally accept it. Sends a clear message to them that they suck ass.
History lesson: in 1990 I worked at a computer store. If you paid by credit card you paid the listed price. If you paid with cash, you got the CASH DISCOUNT price.
Soon MasterCard and VISA went to court to prevent the cash discount practice.
Soon after, points and cash-back credit cards came out
There are several gas stations who offer a cash price that is about 10 cents a gallon cheaper than the credit card price.
Better hope the CC cartel does find out
Yeah, we really need laws defending the right to get discounts for low fee payment methods. I should pay less for using my debit card than someone using a credit card that charges a fee to the seller (which is passed on to all customers) that’s high enough to give them back 1+% of what they spend. And a further discount for cash
You can always mail a check, right? Isn’t that still a thing?
It’s so messed up that some states legally allow merchants to charge a “credit card fee”. Providers of services much like the above can charge if it’s a debit, credit, etc. even if they both say “Visa” on them. The concept of money in the US is so obfuscated now.
That’s because every credit card swipe carries a fee of about 2.75%, and that comes out of company profit, so they are recouping that fee. They want you to pay for the processing fee, not them.
As near as I can tell, it’s still free to send them a paper check, and that has to be the most expensive form of processing, and the least convenient for them, so send a check, and really piss them off.
Yeah, I’d much rather however they just be allowed to push the exact fee onto the customer. Because it isn’t consistent. Higher reward cards carry higher fees while debit cards are much cheaper (0.73% average).
That said, I do think there needs to be a reasonably accessible payment option with no fees added. This will usually be cash, but sometimes debit, check, or ebt
kungen@feddit.nu 3 days ago
According to whom? As far as I’m aware, there’s no such law in the US regarding private companies. So they can be jerks if they want to.
Serinus@lemmy.world 3 days ago
consumerfinance.gov/…/what-is-a-convenience-fee-o…
They can charge fees, as long as there is an alternate way to pay without a fee. Usually it’s by check in the mail.
kungen@feddit.nu 3 days ago
Which is most likely defined in their terms.
Malyca@lemmy.zip 3 days ago
Who cares about laws if no one will enforce them? No consumer protection, no more watch dogs, it’s all but legal now.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 days ago
MAGA views anything you can get away with as legal.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 days ago
Now that they gotten us to accept a fee, sooner or later they’ll jack up the fee. It’s only $2 now, but in a few years, it will be $5, and then $10, and you better pay it if you want your lights to stay on.
And politicians will help them do it by passing a law that the fee can’t by larger than the actual payment, or some helpful horseshit like that.