Shit that annoys you

Credit cards annoy me.

They're a standardized and convenient way to pay, but now a large percentage of retailers are tacking on an additional 3-4% if you pay with a card. Which is completely reasonable, since credit card processing fees have skyrocketed. Which is also reasonable since credit cards are all offering substantial "rewards." So now I'm at a point where I'm going back to using cash and [gasp] checks to pay for things because I don't want to pay an extra 3% on the purchase.

I want a new credit card that has zero rewards and low processing fees for the retailer. I just want a convenient way to pay that isn't going to cost me extra.

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It's such a game of getting the best processing rate. Smaller companies get screwed like usual.

Retailers are tacking on additional charges for paying by card? That's news to me. The only time I've ever seen this is the State of Washington does this if you want to renew your vehicle tabs by credit card.

Windstorm this week covering everything in layer of gray tree pollen that looks like volcanic ash.

Pollen in late February?

Does this mean we don't get the yellow stuff in spring?

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Originally Posted by The AD

Retailers are tacking on additional charges for paying by card? That's news to me. The only time I've ever seen this is the State of Washington does this if you want to renew your vehicle tabs by credit card.

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Really? That's nice. Around here most restaurants, most professional / medical offices, and some stores add ~3%. At least grocery stores haven't started doing it yet.

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Originally Posted by toast2266

Really? That's nice. Around here most restaurants, most professional / medical offices, and some stores add ~3%. At least grocery stores haven't started doing it yet.

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I’m seeing the same thing.

I'll have to pay more attention, but haven't seen it yet.

Different price for cash and credit at the gas station. Other than that, I dont really see it much in the upstate.

I've seen it everywhere. Might start with my business too. 3% is a lot at the end of the year. I could get a new dirt bike! I'm annoyed when some places don't accept my Amex card.

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Originally Posted by m2711c

Different price for cash and credit at the gas station. Other than that, I dont really see it much in the upstate.

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I wouldn't mind except I fucking hate having to prepay if using cash. It kicks my anxiety into overdrive.

In CA a lot of gas stations charge 10 to 30 cents more for CC than cash/debit. A few places like DMV, AAA for insurance, and our county assessor charge a 2ish % convenience fee for using CC. The only other one I can think of off hand is a moto repair shop who was quite militant about charging 3% extra for CC. A previous company I worked for had looked into it at one point and were advised by attorneys against charging a fee to cover CC fees, so we didn't. But that was over 10 years ago and I don't remember the reason. We had numerous fortune 500 companies trying to pay six-figure purchases using company credit cards so the fees really added up. Seemed really strange that companies would want to pay invoices that way. You can usually pay by debit card to get around the fees. But I refuse to do that esp at gas stations because if scammers get your debit card info they can drain your account. There is no protection like with fraudulent transactions on a credit card. Would be nice if our elected leaders would grow a pair and cap transaction fees like they do in Europe at 0.3%. I'd be fine with no "rewards".

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Originally Posted by toast2266

I want a new credit card that has zero rewards and low processing fees for the retailer. I just want a convenient way to pay that isn't going to cost me extra.

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You can get that today...although whether the retailer gets charged less probably depends on their processor. E.g. Square or Clover is flat rate regardless of card used. A direct merchant account might be priced as a markup over interchange fee which is <1.5% on a basic no-rewards visa vs 2.5%+ on a corporate or high rewards card. Unfortunately retailers have no way of easily knowing if your card is low fee or high fee (other than if you run debit+PIN)...I've certainly never seen anyone with a sign that says "No rewards cards, cash or basic cards only)

It is a tragedy of the commons...as long as some people have rewards, you're just leaving money on the table by not getting them for yourself.

The new city water billing portal here is ridiculous though. They charge you a fee whether you use a credit card or a transfer from your checking account (even if you set it up as autopay online). Only way to avoid the fee it is to get the city to bypass the portal by giving them a voided check and setting up a separate auto draft either in person or by phone/email.

My favorite sandwich shop has had a sign at the counter "Credit card reader temporarily down" for two years.

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Originally Posted by old goat

My favorite sandwich shop has had a sign at the counter "Credit card reader temporarily down" for two years.

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Awesome.

We still have a few places here in SD that are unapologetically cash only. Mostly taco shops and pizza places.

Currently in London and haven’t even bothered getting any local currency. I like using cash, but the switch here to cashless seems close to if not complete

One thing about CCs in Europe--with chip and pin cards the card holder is on the hook for fraud, not the merchant or bank. That may be one reason fees are less. I have a chip and pin card--I assume everyone here does by now and I've never been asked for the PIN in Europe, just a signature. I don't know why they don't use my PIN over there.

At dinner getting ramen the other night. Ordered a sushi roll as an after thought.
Appetizer comes. Ramen comes. No roll. Don’t really care, because I’m filling up pretty good.
Check comes and I point out that the roll is on it. Waitress says, “oh, you didn’t get that yet?” Then goes to the kitchen and grabs it from where I assume it’s been sitting for an hour. “Do you want that to go?”
Yea, no. We can either take it off the check or out of your tip.


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Originally Posted by old goat

One thing about CCs in Europe--with chip and pin cards the card holder is on the hook for fraud, not the merchant or bank. That may be one reason fees are less. I have a chip and pin card--I assume everyone here does by now and I've never been asked for the PIN in Europe, just a signature. I don't know why they don't use my PIN over there.

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Good point. I have read more than once that CC companies in the US do not do more to prevent or prosecute fraudulent transactions because they use them to justify charging larger fees. And of course they make far more from the fees than they lose to fraudulent transactions.

I volunteer at the Truckee Roundhouse, a nonprofit community makerspace. The board has decided that we need background checks, in lieu of the organization buying sexual abuse insurance. Seems reasonable, but I got an email from some company called Checkr that is doing the checks--they want my SSN. Uh, no. Besides the obvious risk of giving some company I've never heard of my SSN, you can do a criminal background check without it. So I refused and the RH said they could have the PD do the check instead. Fine with me.

Stripped screws…

Asshole people that did electrical work on my house prior to my owning it.

FUCKING FUCKS. :mad:

"Stripped screws…"Belongs in the I love my wife thread.

Had a senior coworker ask me to stamp/sign work for him in a jurisdiction that i have licensure but he does not. It was a project for a notoriously rightwing company you all have heard of that is flagrantly antithetical to my personal values... so i politely declined and suggested he find someone else in the company licensed in that jurisdiction. At regional team meetings he has now made a couple offhand remarks about people not being team players and injecting politics into work... hasnt gone into specifics so ive just stayed silent. Doesnt really matter as he is 3 months from retirement, i have my own separate team and client list, and i am 100% comfortable with my decision to not help that company, but its still annoying. This was an obviously controversial company, and im in a deep/dark blue part of the state/country... he really shouldnt have been surprised or put off by my refusal and its annoying that he's being mildly passive aggressive about it.

Put dogshit under the doorhandles on his car.