Refusing payment by credit card?!

[mill4023]

Where do you get this information? Without valid picture ID the merchant is unprotected from fraud! It is required and standard operating procedure to provide picture ID when using a card here in Ventura County, CA. Failure to provide the ID results in the refusal of sale by the merchant! It is not up to Visa/MC to dictate business procedures to the merchant. For a $4.00 sale the merchant is well within rights to refuse to honor the card. Redemption fees are based upon volume of sales transactions, not just the $4.00 sale. I am sure that the merchant won't lose any sleep over this lost customer, as there is nothing quicker than the merchant having cash in hand as opposed to waiting for the credit card deposit the next day. All of this is avoidable by planning ahead.

It certainly is up to Visa/MC to dictate business practices if a merchant accepts Visa/MC as payment. When they choose to accept Visa/MC, they are obligated to abide by the Visa/MC merchant agreements.

http://usa.visa.com/download/merchants/rules_for_visa_merchants.pdf
Page 10: "Always honor valid Visa cards, in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of the purchase. Imposing minimum or maximum purchase amounts is a violation"
Page 10: "Always treat Visa transactions like any other transaction; that is, you may not impose any surcharge on a Visa transaction."
Page 29: "An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted."
"See ID or Ask for ID is not a valid substitute for a signature."
"Although Visa rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to provide ID."

 

[mill4023]

I'm sorry to say I just have a "regular" credit card-no rewards! Could people please post some of their cards that give good rewards? Like the one mentioned above, is it a Marriott visa? Please help! Thank you!

It really depends on what kind of rewards you want.
I've added a bunch of new credit cards in the past year, so I have several rewards cards. I have several airline cards, but I probably won't be flying much and you normally get a better dollar value out of hotel rewards, so I probably won't be using them much. My favorite card right now is the Starwood American Express. It allows you to earn starpoints which you can use for stays at any Starwood hotel (Sheraton, Westin, Four Points, W Hotels, and yes..... the Swan and Dolphin)

Although I'm still thinking about switching to the Hilton Amex.

With the Starwood, you get 1 point per dollar you spend. But each point is worth around 3 cents, so it's a 3% return. Hilton gives you more points but they are worth less, so the value is pretty similar.

Hilton advantages: More hotel choices, especially for economy hotels, gold status if you spend 20k in a year, higher point earnings for certain categories like gas and groceries.

Starwood advantages: No blackout dates, more flexible redemption options (5 nights for 4 nights worth of points, ability to combine points and cash), option to turn 20000 starpoints into 25000 airline miles with most airlines.

 

[Juliet25]

I also wanted to mention about Mcdonalds & them not having a minimum fee, this is smart in a way that was not mentioned.

I usually use the drive through when going to Mcdonalds, from my own experience I see that it takes them less time to swipe my card & immediately move me to the next window than what it would be for them to wait for me to get my cash out, look to see if I have the change in my wallet too, not just the $10 or $20 bill, & me wait to have to get my change back if I did not give them exact change & had it ready & waiting before I got to the payment window.

When McDonalds (or basically any fast food restaurant) can move their customers quickly in & out it not only makes a customer happy, it also possibly gains them more customers & profits by not having a customer leave once they see how long the line is. I know I've driven in & right out of a fast food parking lot if I see the line wrapped around the building....

Excellent points, Cinamin. It's very short sighted for a business to impose minimum charge amounts. I wonder if these minimums are posted?

I frequent a scrapbook store, and the last time I was there I had no cash and my purchase amount was under $2 (due to having a gift certificate to redeem). I was told by my cashier that I was "lucky" she was ringing me up as others would refuse to run a credit card for such a small amount. I was pretty embarrassed and a bit put off.

Well, I've not been back to that store. I consider the merchant "lucky" that I am giving them my business. While they may have lost $0.50 on that particular sale, they've lost all future sales from me.

And my scrapbooking friends know just how much $$$ damage we can do in those stores.

 

[daughtersrus]

I haven't read this entire thread so please forgive me if this was already mentioned.

I have a Discover card with a lifetime rate of 0% on the balance transfers as long as I make 5 transactions a month. These transactions do get charged finance charges so I got to Meijer or Jewel every month and make 5 separate purchases for the cheapest thing that I can find. Usually it's a 10 cent piece of candy or gum.

I use the self-scan and have never been told that there's a min. purchase. T

The funny thing is that it never fails but by the time I get home, there's a message from Discover security making sure that I am the one that is making the purchases since the transactions are so close together. I call and explain and they laugh when they realize that the purchases totaled 50 cents. You'd think that they'd see the pattern by now.

 

[nephthys43]

I'm sorry to say I just have a "regular" credit card-no rewards! Could people please post some of their cards that give good rewards? Like the one mentioned above, is it a Marriott visa? Please help! Thank you!

i have a continental MC. i always have heart attacks when i see the price of airfare, so i got this one to earn free trips. i've had it 3 months and i'm almost got my first free trip.

 

[KCMiller]

Frankly, I just want to know who Clark Howard is?

KC

 

[undertheradar]

It certainly is up to Visa/MC to dictate business practices if a merchant accepts Visa/MC as payment. When they choose to accept Visa/MC, they are obligated to abide by the Visa/MC merchant agreements.

http://usa.visa.com/download/merchants/rules_for_visa_merchants.pdf
Page 10: "Always honor valid Visa cards, in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of the purchase. Imposing minimum or maximum purchase amounts is a violation"
Page 10: "Always treat Visa transactions like any other transaction; that is, you may not impose any surcharge on a Visa transaction."
Page 29: "An unsigned card is considered invalid and should not be accepted."
"See ID or Ask for ID is not a valid substitute for a signature."
"Although Visa rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder ID, merchants cannot make an ID a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to complete a purchase transaction because a cardholder refuses to provide ID."

Based upon your post, ID is not needed. I would hate to be on the receiving end of fraudulent charges if I were the cardholder. Visa/MC does not dictate business policy. Go to a hotel and refuse to provide ID, you will be declined the right to obtain a room. That is the right of the merchant to refuse service. When I worked for Marriott we were required to obtain ID, no exceptions. It was grounds for possible firing to allow anyone to use a credit card without ID.

As for high volume merchants, the fees will not be as high and are covered by prices throughout. To smaller merchants, due to lower volume the fees are higher. I wouldn't quote Visa/MC policy to a merchant in hopes of getting a policy waived. Next time I would carry cash.

 

[DMRick]

Based upon your post, ID is not needed.

I wonder if state laws superced the cc company. We were shocked when we were in California on vacation and everyone asked for our ID..I asked why, and was told it was the law. Stores don't ask for ID in NY, and I thought it was a law, since it was news a few years ago, when they stopped.

Originally Posted by slruud
All this just because someone doesn't want to carry a few $$$ in cash with them. Do you keep the CC receipts the whole month to reconcile with the statement. I thought not. And one wonders how they get into CC debt.

Wow, I find this really interesting that someone who knows nothing about me or others on this board, would make such a snarky remark, with the "I thought not".

I know I have the money to cover what I purchase. And yes, of course I keep the receipts. Why on earth would you assume not? This is a Disney board, not a credit card board, where you have to slap hands of those who don't use cash. I prob have about $3-5 in my wallet right now. I saw prob, because I haven't opened my wallet in weeks, except to take out my credit card LOL.

 

[mill4023]

Based upon your post, ID is not needed. I would hate to be on the receiving end of fraudulent charges if I were the cardholder. Visa/MC does not dictate business policy. Go to a hotel and refuse to provide ID, you will be declined the right to obtain a room. That is the right of the merchant to refuse service. When I worked for Marriott we were required to obtain ID, no exceptions. It was grounds for possible firing to allow anyone to use a credit card without ID.

As for high volume merchants, the fees will not be as high and are covered by prices throughout. To smaller merchants, due to lower volume the fees are higher. I wouldn't quote Visa/MC policy to a merchant in hopes of getting a policy waived. Next time I would carry cash.

The cardholder has zero liability (or almost zero) in the event of fradulent charges. Which is why it's far safer to use credit cards than debit cards.

Is it possible to rent a room at the Marriott with cash and refuse to show ID?
If not, then what they are really doing is requiring ID to rent a room (perfectly within their rights), not requiring ID to use a credit card for a purchase.

I'm not sure why you're still arguing this. The merchant agreement is very clear. Just because some stores violate their agreement doesn't mean they are "within their rights".

I also don't know why you keep insisting that "Visa/MC does not dictate business policy". Any merchant is free to make the decision not to accept credit cards, but if they choose to accept Visa/MC, then they must abide by the rules related to Visa/MC transactions.

 

[mill4023]

I wonder if state laws superced the cc company. We were shocked when we were in California on vacation and everyone asked for our ID..I asked why, and was told it was the law. Stores don't ask for ID in NY, and I thought it was a law, since it was news a few years ago, when they stopped.

If a state has a law that grants stores the right to require ID, then this would definitely supersede any merchant agreements. So maybe California passed some kind of identity theft law that makes those portions of the merchant agreement invalid in California.

 

[BethR]

Frankly, I just want to know who Clark Howard is?

KC

I haven't read the entire thread, so I am not sure if you are kidding or not, but in case you really want to know Clark Howard is a money management guru who has a radio program. Think Dave Ramsey.

Here is a link to his website: http://clarkhoward.com/

I listen to him when it is convenient and I really like his advice and approach. He has that "guy next door" attitude.

Hope this helps!

 

[seashoreCM]

If a state has a law that grants stores the right to require ID, then this would definitely supersede any merchant agreements. So maybe California passed some kind of identity theft law that makes those portions of the merchant agreement invalid in California.

I've been told that under normal circumstances neither the merchant nor the customer pays if a fraudulent credit card transaction occurs. It is the bank that issues the credit card that is out the money. So I suppose that in California, banks have successfully lobbied the legislators to make the extracting of ID from the customer necessary for the merchant to not be held liable for a fraudulent credit card transaction. The various credit card organizations then have the choice of going along with the ID requests or absorbing the fraud charges.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Steph9072]

All this just because someone doesn't want to carry a few $$$ in cash with them. Do you keep the CC receipts the whole month to reconcile with the statement. I thought not. And one wonders how they get into CC debt.

From somebody who has had a huge spending problem in the past. Causing dh and I to fight all of the time. I got a cc with a set limit. That is the amount I have to spend for household stuff, groceries, gas and not emergency items for the month. Yes, I keep EVERY receipt & yes we together reconcile the statement EVERY. Now there is no way for me to over spend. I love this way of doing. We don't fight anymore.

 

[LadyyRedd]

slightly OT....but there's a small donut shop in town here that has a sign up that says "We round to the nearest nickel". Is that legal? I mean....if my soda is 2.49 including tax, how can they make me pay $2.50?

I have been tempted to go in and order $10 worth of stuff and pay with all pennies.

Kimya

 

[branv]

All this just because someone doesn't want to carry a few $$$ in cash with them. Do you keep the CC receipts the whole month to reconcile with the statement. I thought not. And one wonders how they get into CC debt.

Clearly you haven't spent much time on this board. You really don't know anyone who has the basic financial acumen to do this? It's not rocket science. Unless someone truly has an addiction problem with using credit cards as loans, I find that the people who are better with their finances actually tend to leverage their credit card for buyer protection, for rewards, and for the ease of tracking spending in spreadsheets/software. Why would I pay cash for everything when at the end of the year of using my CC I end up with a round trip ticket or cash back for absolutely free by simply paying off the balance on time? It's not rocket science to only charge what you have the cash to pay for and to actually do so.

And for the record, I don't just keep CC receipts, I keep every receipt, even when using cash or gift cards. How else would I track our spending habits and budget? I'm shocked that you don't see to know anyone capable of doing this. Perhaps you're projecting onto the OP?

 

[slruud]

Clearly you haven't spent much time on this board. You really don't know anyone who has the basic financial acumen to do this? It's not rocket science. Unless someone truly has an addiction problem with using credit cards as loans, I find that the people who are better with their finances actually tend to leverage their credit card for buyer protection, for rewards, and for the ease of tracking spending in spreadsheets/software. Why would I pay cash for everything when at the end of the year of using my CC I end up with a round trip ticket or cash back for absolutely free by simply paying off the balance on time? It's not rocket science to only charge what you have the cash to pay for and to actually do so.

And for the record, I don't just keep CC receipts, I keep every receipt, even when using cash or gift cards. How else would I track our spending habits and budget? I'm shocked that you don't see to know anyone capable of doing this. Perhaps you're projecting onto the OP?

That's enough heat from some of you folks. As regards to the rocket science, we use CCs almost exclusively for most of our purchases and do get rewards...4 to 5 Rapid Rewards flights on SWA a year. My issue is the idea that "I don't carry cash because if I do I will just spend it. It's easier to use debit/CC." That's still spending money. It just seems easier to me to carry a few $$$ on your person to pay for that $1.39 soda from Mcd's. To each his own. Gotta go catch AK bus from POFQ now....You people play nice now.

 

[allison443]

Thanks to everyone who posted about their rewards cards in response to my question, I'm going to look into it. We do have a Hess visa which gives us a rebate on gas purchases, but I'm going to look into a hotel one as well.

 

[teresajoy]

Wow, I find this really interesting that someone who knows nothing about me or others on this board, would make such a snarky remark, with the "I thought not".

I know I have the money to cover what I purchase. And yes, of course I keep the receipts. Why on earth would you assume not? This is a Disney board, not a credit card board, where you have to slap hands of those who don't use cash. I prob have about $3-5 in my wallet right now. I saw prob, because I haven't opened my wallet in weeks, except to take out my credit card LOL.

Very well said! I charge what I can to earn the rewards. I then go home and make a payment online for the amount I just spent. I can make a payment every two days online, and I do it.

 

[mom2my3kids]

I have heard of this, my local video store has a sign that says wont accept credit cards with less then a 10.00 purchase..

 

[Golf4food]

Thanks to everyone who posted about their rewards cards in response to my question, I'm going to look into it. We do have a Hess visa which gives us a rebate on gas purchases, but I'm going to look into a hotel one as well.

When I was first looking for a rewards card, I thought about a gas card, but then I found a Citi Platinum Rewards Mastercard that provided around 5% back on gas, groceries, and prescriptions, and then 2% back on everything else. I thought - heck, why just get cash back on gas when I can get it on groceries, too - our two biggest expenses each month for CC purchases. The reward percentage has since gone down a bit - might be 1% on everything else now, and 2-5% on groceries/gas/prescriptions, but we still wind up earning between $60-$75 every other month or maybe three months depending on what we purchase. We track everything like cash or debit card and pay it off every month. No fuss, no muss. They are also very fast to get rewards checks out and they can be issued online with the push of a button anytime your reward exceeds $50. Great customer service when we've needed it. I couldn't be happier with our Citi Mastercard. Just check out www.citicards.com for all of their various options, but the one we have is the Platinum Rewards Mastercard.