Can a retailer add a sur-charge to the sale price to take a credit card rather than cash?

Answer 1

One person has said the following: "Yes. It costs retailers to be able to process credit cards. They are just passing the cost along to you. If you don't like it, pay cash. If you can't afford to pay cash, accept the surcharge gracefully and be grateful the retailer even accepts credit cards. You will pay for it even if you don't see the surcharge. Often the price of merchandise is calculated to cover things like this as well as numerous other expenses the retailer incurs."

However, this ignores the fact that credit card merchants do not have the power to change the rules, not to mention the convoluted logic that you're paying for it whether you see the surcharge or not and should be "grateful" to pay more. In fact, cash transactions cost the merchants more to handle because they have to securely count, store and transport the money rather than doing electronic credit card transactions.

Do not pay extraIt would obviously be "fraud" to offer to sell goods at one price and then charge you a higher price at checkout, regardless of any excuse the merchant may offer, other than statutory sales tax, if any. In addition, any merchant asking a specific surcharge or minimum amount "for credit cards" is in violation of the merchant agreement and can be subject to penalties or termination of the credit card contract. You should report anyone who attempts to charge you more for using a credit card although an offer for a "discount" (from the posted price) for paying with cash may be acceptable. They are just driving up the cost of transactions for everyone else.