Comment by lxgr
4 years ago
> For gas, there's one price for cash, a higher one for credit card.
I never buy gas, so distinct credit vs. debit vs. cash pricing applies to 0% of my monthly spending. No merchant that I frequent offers a discount for debit cards over credit cards (some do offer a cash discount, but that's a different topic).
> Many outfits will give you a discount for cash if you ask. That's even better for you than the cash back. All you gotta do is ask.
Have you actually tried doing that at e.g. a grocery store? An online retailer? An airline?
> Have you actually tried doing that at e.g. a grocery store?
Grocery stores have such thin margins, that isn't going to work.
> An online retailer? An airline?
There's nobody to negotiate with with online sales. Though if you're dealing with an agent at the airport, you can negotiate. Yes, I've done it.
I've successfully negotiated with doctors, dentists, repair shops, department stores, agents selling things, employees, employers, contractors, flea markets, pawn shops, furniture stores, anywhere there's a person with some authority to deal with. Although I haven't, you can also negotiate at restaurants and hotels and car rentals. Usually the higher priced the item, the more negotiation can be done (and is expected).
> Grocery stores have such thin margins, that isn't going to work.
That doesn't make sense. Credit cards cost them some 1-3%; debit cards cost them 0.05%. The difference is exactly the same for high and low margin businesses.
> There's nobody to negotiate with with online sales.
Which makes your proposition to address the problem non-viable for a sizeable proportion of all transactions.