It’s been nearly four years since I wrote about the CARD Act of 2009. One part of this ‘consumer protection’ law permitted merchants to charge an adder for a purchase made with a credit card. Fortunately, I live in a state that has its own rules, and an adder isn’t permitted.
As you can see, however, rules are meant to be manipulated, if not ignored. You see, the distinction between the cash and credit cost for gas isn’t an adder for credit, it’s a discount for cash. Got that? My Amex card happens to offer a cash rebate of 3% or 10.5 cents on the credit price above, vs the 8 cent discount for cash. 2-1/2 cents per gallon rebate wont make me rich, but at $50 a tank of gas, it’s a convenience I’d rather not give us, so long as it’s not a cost to me. Push that discount to 11 cents, and I’ll start carrying a few $50s.
Are you starting to see more gas stations offer a cash discount? Any stores starting to charge extra to use your card?