🚀 go-pugleaf

It may be illegal or contrary to his agreements with the CC companies, but as a 
classical economist, I don't think a cash discount/credit surcharge (they're 
fundamentally the exact same thing) is a bad idea at all.

Since the CC companies charge the merchants, they should be free to pass that 
cost along to the consumers who pay with cards. On the flip side, those 
consumers who pay with cash should be able to reap the benefits of the reduced 
transaction cost.

If a consumer and merchant are not able to freely bargain and arrange the terms 
of their transaction, then *every* time you pay cash for an item, you're 
subsidizing those pay with cards. Remember, no one is forcing you to transact 
with a particular firm. If you don't like credit surcharges, go to another 
merchant. If you're paying cash, seek out the ones that give a discount.

As a crude analogy, how would y'all like it if they made it illegal to charge 
different prices for different grades of gas? Gas stations would charge a single 
price higher than what they're currently charging for regular, but lower than 
what they're currently charging for premium. All of us who drive regular cars 
would be subsidizing those who drive picky cars. Same thing with credit cards. 

If this particular merchant is under an existing agreement with a CC company, 
then of course he is legally and ethically bound to honor that agreement. But it 
sounds like a bad agreement. All you merchants out there should band together 
and stomp these agreements out. If this is illegal, then we should change the 
law.

Just my $0.08 (inflation adjusted)
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Steven "Rocket Man" Kan                               V \       ~   .    ######
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