Hoping this is not the norm....

[Rygar]

Last week we were coming back from some time spent in the great state of Washington. Enjoyed every bit of it until we were coming home. We planned on grossing the border at Peace Arch and we needed some fuel. I checked Gas Buddy and it showed the cheapest diesel in Bellingham Wa. was at Meridian Liquor store and Gas Bar. I filled up my truck $60.00 and went happily in to pay. Gave him my Mastercard and he gave me a slip to sign that said 61.86. I pointed out his error. He moved the newspaper on the counter, There was a sign that said they charged .10 cents per gallon to use a credit card. I pointed out how ridiculous that was and he told me: "What do you mean, that's cheap." I've never heard of such a charge. I hope this is not normal through out the USA.

[westernrvparkow]

Rygar wrote:
To Dog Folks and Jfmk, it's hardly a matter of 1.86. $60.00 fuel was only about half a tank. I'm not worried about an amount that won't buy me a coffee. As a retailer for many years, i can tell you that visa/mastercard charge about 2% per transaction. About .08 cents a gallon. So it grates on me that I have to pay his expenses or "costs of doing business" on top of his markup. These expenses should be paid out of this markup which is over what he pays the supplier.
It's totally a principal issue. What next, another .10 cents a gallon to pay for him to keep the lights on? Maybe another .10 cents to upgrade his pumps. It's a slippery slope. The consumer is being screwed constantly. Also, what happened to our cashless society? Sorry for the rant, but thanks for calling me a cheapskate! It's guys like you that make me so happy to be on this forum.

That surcharge is actually a way for the merchant to offer his products at a lower charge to people who do not incur him an additional fee. Would you have felt better if when you paid there was a discount for cash instead of an upcharge for credit cards, even though they are exactly the same thing. By putting on a surcharge, the merchant is making the customer aware that how they pay has consequences. Charging extra for service that costs extra has been happening since the first exchange of dinosaur bones by the cavemen. The recent ruling that allows merchants to have a fee for credit card transactions is actually making commerce more transparent.
Guess you should fill up in Canada before you make your way into the US, or wait until you cross back before filling. Then you can pay about 25% more for your fuel, secure in the knowledge that all the fees in that Canadian fuel are properly hidden from the customer.

[JoeChiOhki]

On my last big journey, I found the easiest way to avoid the surcharges was to look for gas stations run by big stores, like Krogers, Safeway, etc.. etc.. when possible.

[JALLEN4]

Rygar wrote:
To Dog Folks and Jfmk, it's hardly a matter of 1.86. $60.00 fuel was only about half a tank. I'm not worried about an amount that won't buy me a coffee. As a retailer for many years, i can tell you that visa/mastercard charge about 2% per transaction. About .08 cents a gallon. So it grates on me that I have to pay his expenses or "costs of doing business" on top of his markup. These expenses should be paid out of this markup which is over what he pays the supplier.
It's totally a principal issue. What next, another .10 cents a gallon to pay for him to keep the lights on? Maybe another .10 cents to upgrade his pumps. It's a slippery slope. The consumer is being screwed constantly. Also, what happened to our cashless society? Sorry for the rant, but thanks for calling me a cheapskate! It's guys like you that make me so happy to be on this forum.

Rygar, the merchant does already charge for all the items you mention. Over and above what he pays for the product, he needs to sell it at a mark-up that will pay to keep the lights on, upgrade the pumps occasionally, and a myriad of other expenses.

The "cashless" society is something the banks dreamed up as a way to syphon off 2-5 percent of every dollar spent in U.S. commerce. It wasn't mandated and we didn't vote on it...ever! The new ruling at least gives people the choice whether they have to pay for the convenience of credit cards in some situations.

[Dog_Folks]

Rygar wrote:
To Dog Folks and Jfmk, it's hardly a matter of 1.86. $60.00 fuel was only about half a tank. I'm not worried about an amount that won't buy me a coffee. As a retailer for many years, i can tell you that visa/mastercard charge about 2% per transaction. About .08 cents a gallon. So it grates on me that I have to pay his expenses or "costs of doing business" on top of his markup. These expenses should be paid out of this markup which is over what he pays the supplier.
It's totally a principal issue. What next, another .10 cents a gallon to pay for him to keep the lights on? Maybe another .10 cents to upgrade his pumps. It's a slippery slope. The consumer is being screwed constantly. Also, what happened to our cashless society? Sorry for the rant, but thanks for calling me a cheapskate! It's guys like you that make me so happy to be on this forum.

Just double checked all the posts. NO ONE called you a cheapskate.

It is the principle of the thing, I get that. But to rant on a forum and/or let $1.86 ruin my day? No thanks. Just is not worth it to me. You obviously differ and I respect that.

I personally, just would never give that particular retailer another dime of business. For $1.86 you gained valuable insights into this persons way of doing business. A cheap lesson.

It could have been a $500.00 repair or worse.

[GoPackGo]

I need to ask a couple questions since I'm still a little new.

If I write a check (assuming that's allowed) is that considered 'cash' ??

Is using a debit card considered cash or using a credit card ? If a credit card, why is that ? I thought there were no fees on debit transactions since it would be an instant transaction. I didn't think there were any fees even if using it in 'credit' mode instead of 'debit' mode.

No matter what, I don't think I'm going to carry around a ton of cash. I carry almost 80 gallons of fuel.

[Rygar]

To Dog Folks and Jfmk, it's hardly a matter of 1.86. $60.00 fuel was only about half a tank. I'm not worried about an amount that won't buy me a coffee. As a retailer for many years, i can tell you that visa/mastercard charge about 2% per transaction. About .08 cents a gallon. So it grates on me that I have to pay his expenses or "costs of doing business" on top of his markup. These expenses should be paid out of this markup which is over what he pays the supplier.
It's totally a principal issue. What next, another .10 cents a gallon to pay for him to keep the lights on? Maybe another .10 cents to upgrade his pumps. It's a slippery slope. The consumer is being screwed constantly. Also, what happened to our cashless society? Sorry for the rant, but thanks for calling me a cheapskate! It's guys like you that make me so happy to be on this forum.

[gotsmart]

skipro3 wrote:
Federal law requires the HIGHEST price be posted at the street for easy viewing. If he didn't post the price but at the little counter where you pay, then he violated federal law and I'd make darn sure he knew I planned to report this.

I've seen a lot of signs like the below. Sometimes the word "cash" is displayed vertically to the right of the "9/10" (probably part of the "9/10"). I wonder if Federal law requiring posting the higher price applies only to those signs that do not/can not distinguish between cash and credit. In the town that I'm presently in there is a Shell station that posts only the cash price at the street AND on the pumps. The posted price at the street is a digital version of the same design as the below sign. When you scan your credit card at the pump the price displayed above each grade of fuel increases 10 cents. It is fairly subtle. The average consumer might not realize is occurs. It may be legal, but I think it is a bit deceptive.

[Dog_Folks]

skipro3 wrote:

Dog Folks wrote:

jfkmk wrote:
So, you are worried about a $1.86 additional charge on a $60 purchase for a vehicle that is probably just breaking the double digit mpg mark? Might be time to park it and cruise the country in a Smart car.

X2 $1.86 is just too small an amount to worry about. It is well below my "get upset" threshold.

Well, then; if a buck eighty six isn't a big deal, you can send it my way every time you fuel up. My paypal account is my e-mail and available if you PM me for it.

It is below my "get upset threshold," but above my "I'll keep it" threshold. Sorry.

[mlts22]

It isn't the cash, it is the principle of the issue. My godfather talked about how before the '50s, how grocers would stick a thumb on the scale, return change for a $5 when one paid with a $10, then dared the customer to make an issue out of it, and so on. If one doesn't do something, then this behavior is just encouraged. A thief is a thief, weather it be someone stealing a quarter off a bar counter to put in a jukebox or driving off in a car with keys in the ignition.

About a year ago, Visa lost a court case that prohibited credit card merchants from having tiered pricing structures. However, some states (definitely Texas) have put their foot down. Other states allow up to a 5% credit card surcharge. This has caused a number of issues, and oftentimes, merchants don't post the surcharge notice, surprising people in the states that do allow it.

[Ski_Pro_3]

Dog Folks wrote:

jfkmk wrote:
So, you are worried about a $1.86 additional charge on a $60 purchase for a vehicle that is probably just breaking the double digit mpg mark? Might be time to park it and cruise the country in a Smart car.

X2 $1.86 is just too small an amount to worry about. It is well below my "get upset" threshold.

Well, then; if a buck eighty six isn't a big deal, you can send it my way every time you fuel up. My paypal account is my e-mail and available if you PM me for it.

[cdlaine]

Gary,

It is getting out of control most places.... soon,
you will be charged a fee to charge the fees fee.

looks like back to carrying cash.... I need to get a
concealed carry permit.

Charles

[tatest]

I've been caught by yet another tier, common apparently in Michigan. The posted price will be "with car wash" but you won't see that qualification until point of pay.

[Sea_Dog]

Recently in Kentucky and Tennessee,
I hit a campground that took only cash
and one that charged extra for using a credit card.

[frankdamp]

Most Chevron stations around WA have a sign saying "Cash/Debit" one price and "Credit" 10 cents higher. We use the Swinomish tribal Chevron outside Anacortes frequently. We also use the Safeway downtown and they don't charge extra for a credit card if you have the store membership card. You can also build up 10-cent discounts by shopping at the store regularly.

[clhamon]

We are from Southern California and knew of the cash discount so we used our debit card which for all intents and purposes is the same as cash (If the funds are not available we don't get what we pay for)and our credit union does not charge a fee to the fuel station but the fuel stations all treat it the same as cash so that trick didn't work. Still trying to figure out how not to carry a lot of cash for fuel purchases.