Dear Linkedin,
Robert Bonomi
bonomi at mail.r-bonomi.com
Sun Jun 10 18:40:37 UTC 2012
> From nanog-bounces+bonomi=mail.r-bonomi.com at nanog.org Sun Jun 10 13:18:06 2012
> From: Barry Shein <bzs at world.std.com>
> Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:16:10 -0400
> To: Mikael Abrahamsson <swmike at swm.pp.se>
> Subject: Re: Dear Linkedin,
> Cc: NANOG <nanog at nanog.org>, Joe Greco <jgreco at ns.sol.net>
>
>
> I was under the impression (I should dig out my contract) that
> merchant contracts also forbid charging more for a charge than for
> cash or conversely "discount for cash!" but I see so many violations
> of that particularly at gas stations I wonder if that's negotiable in
> the contract.
The 'true explanation' is even simpler -- your impression is incorrect. <grin>
In the U.S., Visa/Mastercard/Amex/Discover/Diners Club contracts all
expressly forbid charging extra for a card transaction. Using language
that applies only to a 'premium' or 'surcharge' applied to card transactions.
They do *NOT* forbid giving a discount for cash payment. They do not state
it =is= acceptable -- they are simply silent on the subject, which means that
it is not proscribed.
The logic: The card purchaser must be allowed to buy at the 'advertised'
price. Prohibiting discounts gets into a 'restraint of trade' issue.
Gas stations that offer a 'discount for cash' do not give that discount
even for 'house brand' cards -- which do not have any fees that are
payable to the issuer.
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