Credit card processing fees can add up for a small business. Especially when the majority of purchases are $5 and under (like at coffee shops, smoke shops, delis, etc.)

What have local Seattle merchants done to counteract this avalanche of fees? They’ve started tacking on transaction fees for purchase totals under their arbitrarily choosen minimum purchase amount. Some do this because they don’t care, others do it “because the other merchants are doing it.”

Well, here I am to let you know that this is 100% against the contracts that they have signed which allow them to accept VISA cards. If you attempt to purchase anything with a VISA card, NO merchant is allowed to charge a fee for or require a minimum purchase to run the transaction. If they do, they are running afoul of their merchant account contract and given enough complaints can LOSE their ability to accept credit cards.

Here in Lower Queen Anne alone there are many merchants which are doing this, almost all of which I have reported.

What should you as a consumer do to stop this?

1. Tell the merchant that they are not allowed to do this so they know. Most are just ignorant of the rule and will comply if told (well, not really, just for those who bitch…)
2. Report them to your credit card company. They should have forms which you can use to report these miscreants.
3. If your bank does not have these forms, are too slow to respond, or if you’re just flat out too lazy to contact them for these forms, call VISA at 1.800.VISA.911
4. I’m creating a wiki at CashFree.org (newly registered, please be patient with the DNS…) to promote this, get the word out, and to build up data on these merchants. Visit the Seattle list and help me expand it! (or add your city if this blog entry gets passed beyond our walls.)
5. Don’t shop at these stores until they stop raping their customers.

Let’s take back our money and make Seattle a place where you can truly go cash free. I prefer to not carry any cash, but because of these thieves I have to just in case I need an emergency sundry. I’m not going to pay the fees they’re not allowed to charge, and neither should you!