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At lot of gas stations in my area offer gas cheaper if you pay cash. Usually it's around a 10 cent difference in price. Is this something that shouldn't be hap

by thesis 14y ago

At lot of gas stations in my area offer gas cheaper if you pay cash. Usually it's around a 10 cent difference in price. Is this something that shouldn't be happening?

beagle3 14y ago
It was ok to offer a discount for cash, but it was not ok to have a surcharge for credit cards - and now it becomes ok to have such a surcharge. Yes, these things are mathematically equivalent. And yet, that's what the law said.
- largesse 14y ago
  If there was a programming language named Law it would be a freaky beast.
  - protomyth 14y ago
    ...and change output depending on the computer you ran it on and what year...
  - gmac 14y ago
    Well, there kind of is, no? It runs on judges. My wife is a government lawyer, and I sometimes reflect that our jobs both ultimately involve writing words that do stuff.
- yuhong 14y ago
  Reminds me of Affordable Care Act's health insurance mandate and how the Supreme Court declared it constitutional.
- detst 14y ago
  > And yet, that's what the law said. It wasn't the law[1] but rather a contractual restriction on surchages. This settlement with VISA and MasterCard removes that restriction. It doesn't apply to other companies like American Express. [1] Some states did and still do prohibit credit card surchages.
jauer 14y ago
IIRC it is against merchant agreements (or maybe that was paypal). Just like asking to see a ID if the back of the card is signed. A lot of places do both because a) they don't actually read the contracts they sign and b) they don't care: the "small business owner makes up his own rules" attitude. There's a grocery discount chain by me (Woodmans) that simply doesn't take credit cards because of the fees. If you want to pay by plastic you will pay by Debit Card with PIN. Walmart's discount chain (Sam's Club) has the same policy except for MasterCard.
colinsidoti 14y ago
Out of interest, are you from NJ (or another full-service state)? I noticed this a lot in NJ but not in Massachusetts. I think it's because in MA I have to go inside to pay cash, which is a much bigger hassle than simply putting my credit card into the pump.
- thesis 14y ago
  I am from NJ :) But this is in Houston, TX -- No full service here.

by thesis 14y ago

At lot of gas stations in my area offer gas cheaper if you pay cash. Usually it's around a 10 cent difference in price. Is this something that shouldn't be happening?

beagle3 14y ago

It was ok to offer a discount for cash, but it was not ok to have a surcharge for credit cards - and now it becomes ok to have such a surcharge. Yes, these things are mathematically equivalent. And yet, that's what the law said.

largesse 14y ago
If there was a programming language named Law it would be a freaky beast.
- protomyth 14y ago
  ...and change output depending on the computer you ran it on and what year...
- gmac 14y ago
  Well, there kind of is, no? It runs on judges. My wife is a government lawyer, and I sometimes reflect that our jobs both ultimately involve writing words that do stuff.
yuhong 14y ago
Reminds me of Affordable Care Act's health insurance mandate and how the Supreme Court declared it constitutional.
detst 14y ago
> And yet, that's what the law said. It wasn't the law[1] but rather a contractual restriction on surchages. This settlement with VISA and MasterCard removes that restriction. It doesn't apply to other companies like American Express. [1] Some states did and still do prohibit credit card surchages.

jauer 14y ago

IIRC it is against merchant agreements (or maybe that was paypal). Just like asking to see a ID if the back of the card is signed. A lot of places do both because a) they don't actually read the contracts they sign and b) they don't care: the "small business owner makes up his own rules" attitude. There's a grocery discount chain by me (Woodmans) that simply doesn't take credit cards because of the fees. If you want to pay by plastic you will pay by Debit Card with PIN. Walmart's discount chain (Sam's Club) has the same policy except for MasterCard.

colinsidoti 14y ago

Out of interest, are you from NJ (or another full-service state)? I noticed this a lot in NJ but not in Massachusetts. I think it's because in MA I have to go inside to pay cash, which is a much bigger hassle than simply putting my credit card into the pump.

thesis 14y ago
I am from NJ :) But this is in Houston, TX -- No full service here.