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| "FU^%ING" Credit-Cards!!! |
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| SeanB:
Funny thing is with Covid pretty much all retailers that accept tap and go there is no PIN entry any more, even after using the card multiple times. Only exception is every single fuel retailer, PIN required at the forecourt. Only time I needed to enter PIN in the last 3 months was paying for groceries, which included an airtime purchase and a bill payment. Of course the outlier is the good old South African Post office, who, despite having card readers that are both chip and tap capable, as the exact same models are used pretty much everywhere else, and those are capable in other retailers, but SAPO still requires swipe and PIN. Also still has the entire billing system running on Windows XP, mostly on old Intel Core single systems, with 1G of RAM. Not even the thieves who break in will steal them, no value other than the copper inside. The other half, Telkom, also still there on XP, and wonder why they are losing customers by the thousands every week, even though actually cancelling is an exercise in beating your head against a wall covered with broken glass, if you actually want a refund due to you. |
| Rick Law:
--- Quote from: Simon on June 28, 2020, 12:11:24 pm --- --- Quote from: SilverSolder on June 28, 2020, 12:07:47 pm --- The contracts that merchants sign with credit card companies often specifically prohibit giving discounts for using cash... they don't want the costs associated with using a card to be visible to the consumer, for obvious reasons. The US gas station example is about the only one I can think of where this rule is not in place - perhaps the exception that proves the rule, perhaps they were never able to get that industry to conform to their policies from the beginning. Consumers are extremely conscious about the price of gas, every tenth of a penny counts here. I can't think of any other industry that majors on price in the same way... --- End quote --- Fuel is a necessity, people will have to buy it. The only incentive to accept card is that it means the motorist caught short will have to pay by card but most customers would come purposefully so the first card company to cave in sets the stage for the others. --- End quote --- It is funny that USA gas stations are the one the posts it side by side - consistently. The following may be outdated since I don't shop in-person often these days, but store has (had?) similar things: discount when you use store's own credit card. Major retailers like Sears (now defunct), Macy's, etc. has (had) discounts when purchased with a store credit card. If it is my first visit to a particular store that I am unfamiliar with, I often simply ask: "Do you give a cash discount?" Hey, just a simple question that may save you a few bucks. Except in cases I want to get some protection from credit card purchase (life's lesson living in big cities - always the possibility of getting merely an empty box, or stuff with unknown origin...). With gas stations, I think the main factor is that it is a fairly competitive business. They usually have large elevated display signs that shows their lowest per-gallon price - typically their "regular" (87 octane in most states). So, they use that to attract customers - but once the customer pulled by the pump and if they look - they see the extra 5-cents more (or there-about) it actually costs if you use credit cards. I was fooled by that for a few years when I was in my youth going for the convenience of the credit card. Most youths in my days, their first credit card is either a store credit card or gas-station credit card. So, people get "conditioned" as it was in my case. When I realized I was throwing money away (using generic band card instead of store-branded cards), I started paying cash whenever it represents a saving. |
| SilverSolder:
--- Quote from: Rick Law on June 28, 2020, 07:34:30 pm --- --- Quote from: Simon on June 28, 2020, 12:11:24 pm --- --- Quote from: SilverSolder on June 28, 2020, 12:07:47 pm --- The contracts that merchants sign with credit card companies often specifically prohibit giving discounts for using cash... they don't want the costs associated with using a card to be visible to the consumer, for obvious reasons. The US gas station example is about the only one I can think of where this rule is not in place - perhaps the exception that proves the rule, perhaps they were never able to get that industry to conform to their policies from the beginning. Consumers are extremely conscious about the price of gas, every tenth of a penny counts here. I can't think of any other industry that majors on price in the same way... --- End quote --- Fuel is a necessity, people will have to buy it. The only incentive to accept card is that it means the motorist caught short will have to pay by card but most customers would come purposefully so the first card company to cave in sets the stage for the others. --- End quote --- It is funny that USA gas stations are the one the posts it side by side - consistently. The following may be outdated since I don't shop in-person often these days, but store has (had?) similar things: discount when you use store's own credit card. Major retailers like Sears (now defunct), Macy's, etc. has (had) discounts when purchased with a store credit card. If it is my first visit to a particular store that I am unfamiliar with, I often simply ask: "Do you give a cash discount?" Hey, just a simple question that may save you a few bucks. Except in cases I want to get some protection from credit card purchase (life's lesson living in big cities - always the possibility of getting merely an empty box, or stuff with unknown origin...). With gas stations, I think the main factor is that it is a fairly competitive business. They usually have large elevated display signs that shows their lowest per-gallon price - typically their "regular" (87 octane in most states). So, they use that to attract customers - but once the customer pulled by the pump and if they look - they see the extra 5-cents more (or there-about) it actually costs if you use credit cards. I was fooled by that for a few years when I was in my youth going for the convenience of the credit card. Most youths in my days, their first credit card is either a store credit card or gas-station credit card. So, people get "conditioned" as it was in my case. When I realized I was throwing money away (using generic band card instead of store-branded cards), I started paying cash whenever it represents a saving. --- End quote --- Here's a good tip for you: Go into the gas station and buy gift cards for that brand of gas station, using your credit card (and getting 2% or 3% back on that, depending on your credit card). Then, you use the gift card at the pump - which gives you the cash price! Now you are almost 10% better off. Do that over a year, and it adds up to a nice bit of tech gear off eBay, or a dinner, or whatever, with almost zero effort. It is a sad truth that these days, the cash back you get on some credit cards is a better rate than you are able to get in a savings account at the bank... |
| Halcyon:
--- Quote from: SilverSolder on June 28, 2020, 07:51:05 pm ---Here's a good tip for you: Go into the gas station and buy gift cards for that brand of gas station, using your credit card (and getting 2% or 3% back on that, depending on your credit card). Then, you use the gift card at the pump - which gives you the cash price! Now you are almost 10% better off. Do that over a year, and it adds up to a nice bit of tech gear off eBay, or a dinner, or whatever, with almost zero effort. --- End quote --- I use a fuel card issued by Caltex (Chevron). That automatically gives me 4c per litre off fuel every time I fill up. Yes, that locks me into using their service stations, but I find it convenient as the routes I frequently travel all have Caltex service stations anyway. Plus I use the Australian Government's FuelCheck application on my phone which gives me live pricing for any service station in the state, so I can go to the cheapest one in the area I'm in (or plan ahead if I know I'm going to be somewhere in the coming day or two) in order to get the cheapest price. I generally fill up once the tank reaches 50% so I have a buffer if fuel pricing is at its high point. By using the fuel card and by being smart about when and where I fill up, I'm easily saving upwards of 20c per litre. |
| DrG:
--- Quote from: Halcyon on June 28, 2020, 10:40:32 pm --- --- Quote from: SilverSolder on June 28, 2020, 07:51:05 pm ---Here's a good tip for you: Go into the gas station and buy gift cards for that brand of gas station, using your credit card (and getting 2% or 3% back on that, depending on your credit card). Then, you use the gift card at the pump - which gives you the cash price! Now you are almost 10% better off. Do that over a year, and it adds up to a nice bit of tech gear off eBay, or a dinner, or whatever, with almost zero effort. --- End quote --- I use a fuel card issued by Caltex (Chevron). That automatically gives me 4c per litre off fuel every time I fill up. Yes, that locks me into using their service stations, but I find it convenient as the routes I frequently travel all have Caltex service stations anyway. Plus I use the Australian Governnment's FuelCheck application on my phone which gives me live pricing for any service station in the state, so I can go to the cheapest one in the area I'm in (or plan ahead if I know I'm going to be somewhere in the coming day or two) in order to get the cheapest price. I generally fill up once then take reaches 50% so I have a buffer if fuel pricing is at its high point. --- End quote --- You know, that is really the key...balancing what is convenient with what is the best deal. A CC that I use gives me only a 1% rebate, but on everything. Every couple of months they offer a higher rebate on some merchandise class, but it is painless to activate - no doubt they are keeping email lists updated and so on. My point is that I am comfortable with it and I don't want to go chase a 2% rebate and go through any headaches. I don't bother with those gas deals but I understand doing so if it is convenient. I guess what I am saying is that I really do not enjoy all this financial crap, it is necessary and I try to do a reasonable job of due diligence and then make a decision, only occasionally revisiting the topic. No doubt I have missed out on some deals, but financial stuff is somewhat aggravating because nobody is giving anything away and we all know that. |
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