Credit Card Surcharges
JOPLIN, MO.--- Paper or plastic is a common question asked at the grocery store. Today, an overwhelming number of Americans are opting for plastic, but not in the way you might think.
"With a credit card, because it's convenient. I usually get points on my credit card and it's just an easy way to do that," says Leisha Burnett, Joplin Resident.
"I never carry cash. I just always pay with my debit card. It's just simpler that way and I never know how much I'm going to spend, so I don't bring cash," says Michele Damer, Joplin Resident.
This convenience is affecting some local businesses profit margin.
"It impacts it a lot because we set out a certain price for them to pay and then once they pay that with a credit card, then that price, that profit that we just made, goes down because we have credit card fees and credit charges," states Dawn Anderson, Anderson Glass Owner.
These fees can cost up to 3% of the total purchase price of the item, something that many small businesses can not afford.
"I think mom and pops get hit a lot harder because we don't have a lot of other shops that can support a better discount through the credit card companies," says Anderson.
Now, thanks to a recently settled anti-trust lawsuit between 2 major credit card companies and 9 banks, merchants could soon start passing these fees to consumers.
"I think in Joplin, it's going to wind up coming to that. I know in Joplin there are a lot of small businesses that are doing that," says Anderson.
Customers say it's a change that might cause them to think twice before they swipe.
"I guess if they started charging me to use a debit card, I would probably start using cash more often because if it's going to cost me more to use it, I'm not going to," says Burnett.
10 states have laws preventing merchants from imposing a credit card surcharge fee, that includes Kansas and Oklahoma.
