I Dont Do Credit Cards either. But with so many restaurants taking credi cards but not switch, and the extra security of (especially online) shopping with credit cards, I'm starting to be swayed. I'm an intelligent person, and know what an interest rate is, and can probably not spend money I don't have. Sadley, at the point I decided this, noone wanted to *give* me a credit card. Sigh.
Taking credit cards but not switch? That seems crazy; the average merchant with a modern multi-card terminal pays more to process a credit than a debit transaction.
Certainly I've seen at least one restaurant that takes Visa but not Switch.
The last time I wondered about this, someone (might even have been fluffymormegil) said that it was because Switch charges the merchant a fixed fee whereas Visa charges a percentage, and therefore if most of your transactions are smallish ones you do significantly worse out of Switch.
Certainly my understanding is that Visa becomes expensive if you're buying big things; my dad claims to have got a discount on an expensive camera once by offering to pay cash ("you can take the full price by Visa, or you can take a few per cent off and get cash, which would you prefer?").
Possibly ewx's lack of trouble with Visa Delta suggests that it works on the Visa model despite being a debit card, and therefore that the problem is Switch rather than debit per se?
In Singapore the camera shops were willing to knock off another couple of percent for using cash rather than a card. Some others were willing to add 2% to the price agreed if you offered to pay by card. Prices seemed far more negotiable there than they are here, though I've heard stories of people negotiating discounts in the UK for things like white goods.
Possibly ewx's lack of trouble with Visa Delta suggests [...] that the problem is Switch rather than debit per se?
Yes, that seems quite likely. Different networks have their own rules, fee structures, etc etc. Perhaps Visa Delta transactions within the UK don't have to route via the "real" VISA network, so wouldn't get hit for VISA (International)'s fees.
I have a credit card, switch acrds for several bank accounts, and a bunch of store cards. The trick is to PAY IT OFF COMPLETELY whenever the bills arrive. DON'T use them to get credit, use them to avoid carrying wads of cash about. The only real reason to have a store card is to get the occasional "discounts" - not really discounts, really they're charging everybody else over the odds. Like in the supermarket, when you see Save! and Two For One! offers, you _should_ be thinking, aha, normally they charge me double, then.
You can arrange to pay store cards off by direct debit every month and not have to worry about them; this is how my BHS one works. I have no idea whether my Mothercare one works like that too, and so I don't use it.
I agree, and I've got one of the darn things. The amount of money we waste on it (in the name of going to the sales and `saving 10%' or whatever) is phenomenal.
("And it's all her fault" <fx: points>)
Oh, and this doesn't include the 1.5% per month payment protection racket fee, which I've no idea why we have (it wasn't my choice) - it has something to do with insurance against accidental damage and refunds when they subsequently reduce the price (which we didn't claim on the one occasion when it happened) rather than the danger of missing a repayment through being made redundant.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 01:35 am (UTC)There is a very good reason why I Don't Do Credit Cards.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 01:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 02:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 02:33 am (UTC)The last time I wondered about this, someone (might even have been
Certainly my understanding is that Visa becomes expensive if you're buying big things; my dad claims to have got a discount on an expensive camera once by offering to pay cash ("you can take the full price by Visa, or you can take a few per cent off and get cash, which would you prefer?").
Possibly
(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 02:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 02:41 am (UTC)Yes, that seems quite likely. Different networks have their own rules, fee structures, etc etc. Perhaps Visa Delta transactions within the UK don't have to route via the "real" VISA network, so wouldn't get hit for VISA (International)'s fees.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 02:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 02:40 am (UTC)The trick is to PAY IT OFF COMPLETELY whenever the bills arrive.
DON'T use them to get credit, use them to avoid carrying wads of cash about.
The only real reason to have a store card is to get the occasional "discounts" - not really discounts, really they're charging everybody else over the odds. Like in the supermarket, when you see Save! and Two For One! offers, you _should_ be thinking, aha, normally they charge me double, then.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-18 06:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-03-26 06:46 am (UTC)I agree, and I've got one of the darn things. The amount of money we waste on it (in the name of going to the sales and `saving 10%' or whatever) is phenomenal.
("And it's all her fault" <fx: points>)
Oh, and this doesn't include the 1.5% per month payment protection
racketfee, which I've no idea why we have (it wasn't my choice) - it has something to do with insurance against accidental damage and refunds when they subsequently reduce the price (which we didn't claim on the one occasion when it happened) rather than the danger of missing a repayment through being made redundant.