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kelnos08/01/20251 replyview on HN

As the GP said, most places do not give a cash discount (the equivalent of a CC surcharge), though that practice is indeed a bit more common than it was a decade ago. Interestingly, I've see this practice in odd places like my utility and phone bills (they don't charge an extra fee if you instead link your bank account or use a debit card, which I don't love, but... here we are).

And even if things aren't marked up to cover CC fees, if you have a rewards card, you're effectively paying more if you pay in cash.


Replies

frollogaston08/06/2025

Idk. Where I live, it's very common. Almost every gas station does it, about half the restaurants, and yes every utility. 0 grocery stores though. The fee is at least 3%, and no card offers that level of cashback, though you might be able to do the equivalent of 5% with airline miles.

Cardholder agreements used to disallow CC surcharges, but I think such clauses were outlawed.