New surcharge for using MasterCard/Visa now allowed

[foraloysius]

The opposite is happening here. While in the past paying small amounts with a debit card cost a small charge, it is stimulated to swipe your debit card for even the smalles amount of money. All for the safety of the store owners.

Credit cards are not big here, you need them to rent a car and for holidays in countries where they are more the norm. As a matter of fact our credit cards work more as an extended debit card, most people pay the whole bill at the end of the month.

Mastercard and Visa seem to charge the store owners much more for accepting a credit card than they do for a debit card. That's why most store owners don't accept credit cards. No supermarket overhere will accept a credit card. Most gas stations do nowadays. One department store has it's own creditcard, it's rather popular among the regular customer, but most people don't bother about it.

 

[launderess]

Same In France

Via the Carte Bleue, which many Americans assume are credit cards but rather function like one but involve no fees to card hold. They are rather a quasi debit card though today they have all been switched over to smart cards with micro chips and PINS.

Of course there are credit cards in France but the French aren't big of use of credit as Americans. The CB takes funds from one's bank account so in theory you aren't incuring debt.

 

[whirlcool]

I find airlines and hotels are devils for doing this too, not just retailers.

If you pay cash for your airline ticket here in the U.S. you will be looked at very suspiciously by airport security and most likely will be singled out for "Additional Processing" at the security checkpoint or gate.

It used to be here in the U.S. that retail stores had their own credit cards, most still do but since the IRS stopped letting people deduct credit interest off of their taxes(1987)most people have reduced their credit cards down to just one or two major credit cards like MC, Visa, American Express, Diners Club. I don't even know if Carte Blanche is even still around. I haven't seen one used in years and years.
Nowadays if you have too many credit cards, even if they don't have balances will deflate the almighty credit score.