Pubs adding 50p surcharges to pay by card...

[JWH]

I believe - although I could be wrong on this, so correct me if anyone knows - that the contract/agreements between the shop and the card processing companies forbid the shop owner from charging an extra fee to use the card.

But at the same time, I can see why little shops do it - the card use charge can be more than the profit.

 

[Wolveryeti]

Seriously... it makes sense though.

- you don't have to handle dirty cash and coins
- no annoying coins in your pocket when you've only got a tenner
- a percentage cashback (even if its 9p it all adds up over time)
- a physical record of making a transaction if you ever had to prove where you were at any given time
- a recorded statement so you can see how much you spend on food/clothes/beer etc each month
- a better credit rating for using a credit card (responsibly)

Do you ever check to see how much interest you're paying? IME a lot of credit card companies charge interest according to the average monthly balance, not the balance once payment is due.

 

[Mr Smin]

Do you ever check to see how much interest you're paying? IME a lot of credit card companies charge interest according to the average monthly balance, not the balance once payment is due.

Only if you carry over a balance from month to month. You can get up to 56 days interest free on my visa if you start with a zero balance and buy something the day after a statement is generated. You then have until a few weeks after the next statement to pay up before they charge interest.

btw I foolishly had a drink in a bar in stockbroker territory last week. at 7 quid for a G&T I don't think they have any need to add a surcharge- but for all I know the drink was 2 quid with a 5 quid fee!

 

[Oriole]

at our place we don't accept amex because of the high charges. dunno high it is though

Amex does charge more and they are also slower at giving you the money. Most PDQ transactions appear in the company's bank account within a couple of days, Amex take up to a week IIRC so not exactly cashflow friendly.

The pub would have to pay a monthly fee for the PDQ machine plus a fee per transaction which varies depending on the type of card and the type of transaction (verified vs unverified for example). The variable charge varies according to the volumes of transaction the business does.

 

[King Biscuit Time]

I think AmEx charge more like a fiver. Thats why a lot of small buisnesses won't take it. They have a different model to the other firms though. Because they're percieved as a high-status card for high earners, the thinking is that if you accept AmEx, it shows that your shop or whatever is for high-status peeps, and that if you can attract high status peeps, they're going to have more dosh to spend, so you can tap into their disposible income better.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

The pub is about the only time I get cash out these days, everything else I pay for by card. Its just politeness if its a busy pub with lots of people waiting to be served.

 

[joustmaster]

I always just run a tab till I leave, then pay by card.

i always end up wandering away with out paying. i have often spent a sunday traveling about collecting bank cards and paying debts

 

[skyscraper101]

Personally I'd rather more places took up cards like the Visa Paywave. Then we'd neither have to handle cash, or wait for a PIN terminal to arrive behind the bar and inconvenience others as they wait for you to tap in the numbers. You can just bleep and go.

 

[1927]

Good! Who buys beer on a card ffs????

I always use my card to pay for my beer. I get a tab as soon as I walk in and pay it off at the end of the night.