A fee to pay your bill? Yep

[douglas9]

.........................

Beginning Oct. 16, Verizon Communications will charge $3.50 for any nonrecurring payment using a credit or debit card. In other words, if you don't sign up for their regular bill-paying program and prefer to pay each month with plastic, you'll pay more.

..........................................................

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20101005,0,442445.column

[MilesColtrane]

1. I keep waiting for companies to charge a fee if you pay by...

a check through the mail. (my preferred method most of the time)

I know it's coming.

[hedgehog]

3. I used to get envelopes to return the payment on student loans,

then a book of address stickers, now they just e-mail the bill!

[myrna minx]

4. I always paid my phone bill over the phone until the day Qwest

informed me that I would have to pay a charge to do that. They've decided to take us back in time to pay by check - and I can't wait to discover when will they start charging for that. :eyes:

[PatSeg]

8. I've been surprised

at how many companies charge a "convenience fee" to pay online with a credit card, when I know it is cheaper and less labor intensive than paying by mail with a check for them. Unbelievable.

[Mnemosyne]

11. Two policies, $4 per month to pay auto/home insurance by check. 4 years ago. n/t

[Gidney N Cloyd]

20. The Daily Herald (Chicago burb paper) started doing that a while back.

$1 surcharge for paying by check. It was the last straw for me and I finally dropped that crappy paper.

[Myrina]

2. ... its been like that for other companies, forever ...

public service, cable, car insurance, mortgage ... it's ridiculous. They charge you a fee when you don't pay, and then they want to charge you a fee to make a payment. And they wonder why people get behind.

:freak:

[zipplewrath]

5. This is coming

The banks are "in on it" to some extent. Direct account to account transfers of money, no middle men (well other than the banks of course). No checks, no credit cards, debit cards, etc. I give it about 5 years tops.

[Statistical]

9. 5 years? it is here right now. How do you think billpay or online payments work?

Money out of your account -> money into creditors account.

If bank doesn't have ACH information on the creditor they will send a check but that is a small and shrinking % of it.

[zipplewrath]

39. I really meant required

Every large national/multinational company will insist on an electronic payment directly from your bank to their account. Anything else will either be expensive, or impossible. They'll have your money before they ship. I'll be interested to see if the on line merchants start to avoid dealing with credit cards.

[Statistical]

40. Yeah you could be right.

The one problem w/ ACH right now is it doesn't guarantee funds (currently).

So someone can have say $50,000 in a bank account, purchase something for $50,000 the ACH is approved and item shipped. Then the persons withdrawls the $50,000 and the transaction bounces. Good for fraud.

Of course there is no reason why banks in the future can't come up w/ an ACH 2.0 which works similar to credit cards. :(

[zipplewrath]

41. It will be strange

The banks manke money off of credit cards. So you'd think they would want to encourage their use. I can understand the retailers wanting to avoid them, but I can't see the banks "playing along". Yet we are seeing this trend towards companies requiring direct transfers. Suppose they are paying the banks directly for the service?

[leftstreet]

10. In five years they'll just be taking payments right out of our paychecks

Someone, somewhere, has the legislation ready to go no doubt

[Statistical]

14. Military has been doing that for years... called an allotment.

One of the reasons you see places say "no credit check. All military and federal employees APROVED".

I am sure creditors would like to see than expanded to everyone. I am surprised SAP and ADP (two largest processors of payroll) haven't already pitched that as a "value added" service. Get a car w/ $300 payment and your paycheck in $150 less (2 per month) for next 5 years. Horrible idea but I am honestly surprised we haven't already seen it.

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. THAT idea has been seriously considered in Britain.

No kidding.

[Mumble]

6. T-Mobile tried the same thing and...

a month or two later had to stop their program for some reason I don't recall. Of course, they didn't notify those who had set up to pay with plastic that they dropped the charges on mail payments and they could go back to paying with a check.

[onehandle]

7. AT&T is still not charging for paying. Just paid mine. nt

[EnviroBat]

12. Let's hope they don't get on the bandwagon.

This practice pisses me off and I WILL cancel service with them if they start this shit.

[SoCalDem]

13. Why not just use the online pay plan for free from your bank?

It's so much easier..

[Statistical]

15. That is an option but some like to pay by credit card.

I pay my cellphone, internet, and insurance bills all by credit card. Why not? "free" points.

Of course I would switch to USAA free billpay long before I pay $3.50 a month for the privelidge of giving them money.

Some people don't have bank accounts tough. Lots of employers pay by debit card now. So those people will be just out of luck (or the poorest forced to pay highest fee).

[Sherman A1]

23. Agreed

I too, push everything onto my credit card, in order to gain the cash back bonus or points. I will be paying the phone bill, car insurance or whatever anyway so I might as well game the system as best as I can. Our water company decided to charge a fee for paying the bill with a credit card, so that one is a online bill pay for me as are most utilities, but if I can use a CC, I will do so.

[Wednesdays]

24. That sort of thing is $6.95 a month at my bank.

nt

[SoCalDem]

27. Wow! you have a shitty bank

:(

My bank (small community bank) has FREE checking, and no charge for ATMS or online bill-pay:)

[uppityperson]

17. thanks for the notice. Rather like Ryan Air charging a fee to check in

which costs more @ the airport, but you have to pay a fee if you check in online too.

[doc03]

18. A gas station I have dealt with for years started charging 3%

more per gallon for credit card purchases. For every gas sale the credit card collects 3%, pockets 2% and gives me (rewards) of 1% and the station is out 3% profit. He says on credit card purchases he makes little or sometimes loses money because the supplier tells him what he has to charge. Everyone in the supply chain is making money and the retailer is getting pinched.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

19. I'm surprised that doesn't violate his agreement with the credit card companies.

Used to be that giving a discount for cash was a bit no-no.

[doc03]

22. He has been doing it for probably 2 years now, he is an

independent dealer. (his gas actually comes from BP) BP tells him you will pay X and you will sell it for Y, it's not our fault you can't make a profit. The credit card companies tell him we will take 3% of your sales and if you can't make money it is not our problem.

[Statistical]

30. Just because he is doing it doesn't mean it is allowed by merchant agreement.

Essentially he is in breech of contract by violating the terms under which he agreed to accept credit cards.

All it would take is one of his customers calling VISA and complaining and he would be forced to stop. Repeat offenses would result in him losing ability to accept credit cards period.

Merchants are prohibited from charging more for using VISA or Mastercard (and VISA is the one that strongly enforces this). Neither Discover nor Amex have such a prohibition but no business ONLY accepts Disc and Amex.

Separately it is illegal in a few states:
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Kansas
Maine
Massachusetts
New York
Oklahoma
Texas

[uncommon]

25. A lot of gas stations do this - it shouldn't be legal.

[doc03]

26. Why not? The retailer has to make a profit

to stay in business, I guess he weighted the options, he loses a lot of sales because of it but apparently it works for him. He doesn't try and hide it, if you don't want to pay go elsewhere and buy your gas.

[Statistical]

33. Because he signed a contract w/ VISA that he wouldn't do that.

He gains all the advantages of electronic commerce and the consumer pays all the cost. It is a violation of his contract.

If he doesn't like credit cards then he doesn't have to accept them. If he accepts credit cards then he accepts the terms under which they can be accepted.

Charging a fee to use VISA or Mastercard is a violation of merchant agreement.

[doc03]

35. No he isn't charging a fee to use them, he is giving you

a discount for cash? Anyway he isn't in jail and he didn't have to close his station. Who you back a small businessman trying to make a living or some big bank squeezing him out of his profits?

[Statistical]

38. He doesn't have to accept VISA but if he accepts VISA he shouldn't rape the customer w/ bogus fees.

Why should consumers who use VISA pay for his poor business sense?

Raise his prices to cover his costs (all costs including payment processing). Oh wait he claims he can't because BP forces him to set maximum price. Wouldn't charging a fee raise that price? Thus he isn't doing what BP told him to do anyways. The whole "BP made me do it" is bogus. He sold you a bill of goods on the reason why he "needs" to screw consumers out of 3% higher prices and you bought it (and now are defending him).


Superbowl tickets are expensive.
I have two choice:
a) pay the outrageous price and go to the game.
b) Refuse to pay the price and don't go to the game.

By your logic I should be able to not pay the high price AND still go to the game. Having it both ways right?


"he isn't in jail"
Like I said it isn't illegal in most states it is a violation of contract.

If you don't like VISA, then don't accept VISA.
If you accept VISA don't try to pawn that cost off on the consumer. It is pathetic.

What he is doing is no different that Verizon. Trying to pawn another fee off on the consumer.

[Statistical]

31. It is legal (in most states) but it violates their contract w/ VISA & Mastercard.

Call VISA and let them know. They will either be froced to stop or lose ability to accept credit cards.
Usually VISA will send you a letter letting you know the merchant has been informed.
Requiring minimum purchase (up to $10) is now allow that also was prohibited in the past.

Only the following states make it illegal to charge more for credit card:
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Kansas
Maine
Massachusetts
New York
Oklahoma
Texas

However in all 50 states it is a breech of contract w/ VISA for a merchant to charge more. If merchant wants to accept credit cards they must do so in accordance with the terms of their contract. Even in a state where it is legal VISA can fine a merchant and/or revoke merchant account for breaching contract.

[doc03]

37. I don't think he would give a shit if Visa revoked his

account for breaching contract, he doesn't want to take their cards anyway. As far as I know maybe he hasn't ever charged gas to a credit card. Why in the hell would I turn him into Visa, fuck Visa they want to squeeze a small businessman out of buisness and you stand up for them. Makes me wonder what you are doing here.

[Mariana]

29. That used to be very common

for gas stations to charge extra per gallon if you paid with a credit card. This was back in the 1980's. I worked in a station that did that in 1987-1989. There were even some companies that didn't charge extra for credit that advertised it - "Same low price, cash or credit!" the ads would say. I believe doing that was actually outlawed in some states. At any rate, it went away and I'm surprised to hear that it's making a comeback.

[Democrats_win]

21. Verizon's starting to act like a bank. Fee OFF! F***ers!

[Nordmadr]

28. It's funny, many companies used to be able to credit an online

payment immediately, and then suddenly for some reason those payments started taking 2-4 business days to process. Oh, and lo and behold a payment made on time could now actaully be late...just submit your rush payment for $14.99 though and you'll be all set.

F*cking crooks.

[Statistical]

34. They shouldn't be able to do that after the credit card reform bill.

That is one of the things the bill addressed. Not saying everyone is following the law but I have noticed that practice seems to have stopped. Both USAA and Discover both credit a payment the day it was received. It may not reflect in available balance for a day but it is good for due date purposes.

[Nordmadr]

42. I'm specifically referencing Sallie Mae online payments. N/T

[Lucian]

32. That is absolute bullshit.

How can anyone let them do this?

[lpbk2713]

36. Weasels.

These are the assholes who want to take control over the Internet.

Not to mention how they gave BushCo all the personal information on
private citizens they wanted without even a mention of due process.