I addressed this in http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1591129 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1591129. To continue addressing it, credit card processing

I addressed this in http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1591129 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1591129. To continue addressing it, credit card processing does not end at a card swipe. Unlike for internet retailers, brick and mortar can have more steps to take to complete a transaction, and routine things like tip adjustments takes just as much time as collecting and moving pieces of paper and metal. Other fees collected in the process of accepting credit cards can be just as ridiculous as the fees for hiring an armored service to take care of the cash, or the time/effort required to go to the bank. Or employees stealing cash. It's ultimately difficult to determine if credit cards are in fact cheaper than cash in a broad sense, although that's something you usually can figure out on a per-business basis.