thats £5.99 please or £8.00 on a card

Anthillmob

can someone explain something?

i always pay with my debit card now and went to the pet shop to get some herbal tablets for my dog yesterday priced at £5.99. when i gave the guy my card he said 'its £8.00 if paying by card'. i borrowed the money off me mum instead.

im just a little confused. maybe he meant a minimum spend of £8. if so why do some shops insist on a minimum spend before allowing card payments?

Poppycat

Was it credit card or debit?

I think retailers get charged by CC for sales hence may increase the goods but most absorb this cost. If it was debit they shouldnt be a charge I would have said forget it and walk out. Still even with CC thats some charge there

MarkyMarkD

Anyone who charges a different amount for credit/debit card transactions, or has a minimum spend, should disclose it clearly - preferably on the door of the shop along with the "we take VISA/Mastercard" signage.

If they didn't warn you in advance, you should complain to VISA/Mastercard either directly or via your bank (although probably directly will be more effective).

Anthillmob

it was a debit card.

deanos

There is a charge for using a debit card about 25p i think , credit cards work on a percentage, alot of smaller shops have a minimum charge.

I bought some furniture at the weekend it was free for debit cards but credit cards were charge at 2%, i beleive travel agents do the same.

Dave_Brooker

Anthillmob wrote: »

can someone explain something?

i always pay with my debit card now and went to the pet shop to get some herbal tablets for my dog yesterday priced at £5.99. when i gave the guy my card he said 'its £8.00 if paying by card'. i borrowed the money off me mum instead.

im just a little confused. maybe he meant a minimum spend of £8. if so why do some shops insist on a minimum spend before allowing card payments?

Some smaller shops have to do this due to the charges they are hit with.

I myslef like smaller shops and the variety of goods they sell, so am happy to go along with the minimum card payment levels.

MarkyMarkD

As deanos says, the charges for merchants (retailers etc.) are fixed for debit cards and a percentage for credit cards. There's no good reason to refuse debit card transactions, or to charge anything more than 50p at the absolute outside for them.

Anthillmob

Alleycat wrote: »

A lot of smaller shops I've been to will only charge to use your debit card if you are buying cigarettes as the mark up is so minimal. When its something with a larger mark up they are more able to absorb the cost into the business. But two quid for using a debit card? They must be desperate!

youre probably right there. desperate for busienss. they are the worst pet shop ever, the amount of complaints enviro health and trading standards get about these cowboys and they always manage to wiggle out of it. google petsville international.

i never buy there but being the only pet shop near to me and me needing these herbal tablets i had to go in there.

Timmne

I went into a bar in Ware, Hertfordshire to grab a coffee with my girlfriend - I think the bill came to about £8 with a biscuit or something.

Anyway the woman said that she wouldn't accept credit card for less than £10 spend.

I am another one that doesn't get it. My £8 would have given her probably £7.85 in income - if that made her margins too tight then she shouldn't be in business. If she can't realise that a slightly discounted income is better then no income then again, she's not dancing the right dance.

It really irritates me when shops put minimum spending limits on cards - OK if the price is lower than say £1 but even then the charge on a debit car's going to be around 20-30p so probably still worth the sale if only just to maintain higher customer service levels.

I know if I ran my own store I'd rather sell something at break even if it meant that a customer went away happy rather than going on a forum to tell the world and his wife!

everythingblogcast

Some shops I go to just put it though on the card even if its £2, but that is my minimum dont know the real figure.

eyelinerprincess

I worked in Spar and it was 50p minimum spend