AMEX not accepted or surcharge

[oz_mark]

If you pay cash you get a discount - that is what is in it for you. If you use a card, you get points but those points have to be paid for somewhere by someone, somehow.

oz_mark each of those merchants mentioned by me earlier in this thread are quite happy to give me the same price for credit card as if I was paying cash. Plus I get the credit card reward points as well.

They win by making a sale and I win by buying something that I want/need plus the reward points.

But are you actually negotiating a cash price with them (as your previous post implied) or are you accepting what's being offered? If you are accpeting what is being offered then those retailers are building it into the price for everyone.

If on the other hand you are negotiating a cash price, then cash should be how you pay it.

[JohnK]

But are you actually negotiating a cash price with them (as your previous post implied) or are you accepting what's being offered? If you are accpeting what is being offered then those retailers are building it into the price for everyone.

If on the other hand you are negotiating a cash price, then cash should be how you pay it.

With most the price is at face value. Places like Woolworths, Coles are not too keen on negotiating.

With places like Harvey Norman, Bob Jayne (tyres), motels, hotels I always ask what is the best price you can possibly give me, or I have a quote from so & so for this amount can you match it. Sometimes they say you need to pay cash for the best price but I say I will pay with Amex and if they want the sale most accept it. Fair or not fair I really don't care. Don't even care that I negotiated a "cash" price and ended paying with credit card.

That is business. It is bargaining. It is life.

About 4 weeks ago I sent an e-mail to riviera motel in adelaide (best western) about a 4 night stay next week. They quoted me $110/night and I did nothing about it. Last week I was looking on wotif and found the same room for $92/night. I rang riviera reservations and asked for a price and the lady quoted me $120/night. I made mention of the wotif price, not of the earlier e-mail, and she told me to hold on while she looked on the internet. Confirmed the price on wotif and said that I could have the room for $92/night plus QFF points x3 for accommodation, food and beverage bill. If she had not given me $92/night I would have booked with wotif and riviera would have had to pay a percentage to wotif so better for them if I book directly with motel.

[oz_mark]

With places like Harvey Norman, Bob Jayne (tyres), motels, hotels I always ask what is the best price you can possibly give me, or I have a quote from so & so for this amount can you match it. Sometimes they say you need to pay cash for the best price but I say I will pay with Amex and if they want the sale most accept it. Fair or not fair I really don't care. Don't even care that I negotiated a "cash" price and ended paying with credit card.

That is business. It is bargaining. It is life.

I'd hit you with a change request!

[aasz1978]

It's been said again and again....

The list of merchants accepting AMEX or accepting it with surcharges is getting more and more to the point that my expenditure with VISA/MC vs AMEX is like 70%-30% from 10%-90%.

JB Hifi is the latest merchant which charges about 3% for CC. It's only a matter of time that Coles/Safeway and all Petrol Station will do so.

If that happens, blame the RBA. Better still, blame RBA right now.

One of the stupidest thing I ever heard coming out from the mouth of a person who purported to be clever enough to claim to be a Governor of Reserve Bank said that with the CC reform, merchants will pay less on fees and prices will decrease as the result.

If I were a merchant, this reform will give me extra dollar and forget reducing my price for cash sales. I don't think when I shop at Coles/Safeway they will give me $5 off my groceries bill for paying cash.

I think this forum should have a list of merchants who don't accept AMEX or charge surcharges....

[auriga]

... and meanwhile, amex gets away with charging higher fees.

[Mal]

I don't believe Coles / Woolies will introduce CC/Amex surcharges in the near future.

My understanding is that they have extremely good merchant rates due to their massive CC throughput.

[oz_mark]

I don't believe Coles / Woolies will introduce CC/Amex surcharges in the near future.

My understanding is that they have extremely good merchant rates due to their massive CC throughput.

True. It was my understanding that Woolworths/Coles only began accepting Amex after they were able to negotiate a good merchant rate with Amex. I don't know what it is, but would expect that it is on a par with their Visa/Mastercard raters

[aasz1978]

It's a sensible argument but if the majority cc users are now using non-AMEX cards, there will be little incentive for Coles/Safeway to provide AMEX as a method of payment since AMEX would now be a minority.

I am not saying that's the case now but it's getting more like a horror story whenever I use AMEX, being told 3%, 5% or refused.

In the past, it's either accepted or not accepted.

I'd imagine CPA Australia may be reviewing the arrangement now.

[Mal]

And I believe Amex would want to retain the major retailers accepting Amex.

Amex may/may not really care about "joe the hardware shop" but when it comes to the big retailers, they probably have a big interest in retaining them...

I still stick by my comment about Coles/Woolies and CC's

[dajop]

What annoys me is the assumption that cash is "costless" transaction. What does it cost a business to handle cash? I've heard figures suggesting around 0.7% of a transaction cost. So with RBA's wonderful reforms they shouldn't be charging the whole merchant fee but just the differential. Huh!

I guess with some businesses cash is much much more preferable, but that doesn't have anything to do with merchant fees....