debit card minimums

On November 29 2012 12:44 endy wrote:
Yeah, actually if they page a percentage fee on card payments, it's better for them that you pay 4.50 by card and 5 in cash than 9.50 by card. I expect to see more and more cases like this one, I found the movie Idiocracy quite scary.

On November 29 2012 12:48 tec27 wrote:
Instead of assuming that everyone you do business with throughout your daily life is a retard, you might like to consider that the payment networks these people deal with often have very weird structures. Therefore, its entirely likely that they incur extra fees for charges less than $5, or that they simply have a contract that they won't make charges that low. Next time, you can solve this problem by paying all of it on your debit card and depositing your cash at a nearby ATM. Then you won't have to get in time-consuming arguments in a store and spend all this time writing up awful blogs.

On November 29 2012 13:02 Dukeinator wrote:
Grow up man. Five dollar minimums are a standard. If fifty cents is going to make that much of an impact on next weeks bills maybe you should get less stuff from the gas station.

Also if they want to promote Romney that is their choice. You do believe in freedom, right?

On November 29 2012 12:45 Franthier wrote:
Why don't you just put everything on debit or cash, end of discussion. It is really you who made a big deal out of 50 cents for fuck sakes...

On November 29 2012 13:17 Takkara wrote:
Slightly off-topic, but the comment about Romney was also off-topic in the OP. Check out this example of someone using anti-Obama rhetoric and then seeing their business surge. Depending on your typical clients or location in the country, it could be good business to support Romney or reject Obama (even more than just a freedom issue).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/cope-reynolds-arizona-gun-store-owner_n_2198131.html

On November 29 2012 13:00 heliusx wrote:


Instead of assuming things you could do 30 seconds of research and realize visa disallows any minimums on debit cards. You would also realize debit cards incur a flat fee to the merchant. Therefore there was literally zero reason to not let me make my purchase. My girlfriend and I spend hundreds a month there on gas and miscellaneous items because of the convenience of the store being across the street. If that doesn't make her a retard I don't know what does.

On November 29 2012 12:17 heliusx wrote:
She promptly tells me "sorry, that's the rule". So basically the owners failure to understand logic that most toddlers can follow has lost her a customer that stops in all the time to pick up beer and gas. What a retard, then again what do you expect from someone who thinks it's a good idea to decorate their business with romney signs during the election.

On November 29 2012 13:22 heliusx wrote:


Take is somewhere else I knew I should have just said "political signs" because a lot of republicans are still raw about the election. I thought tl was more mature than that but I guess not. I'm assuming more than one post in here was hostile only because the romney comment.

On November 29 2012 13:28 wongfeihung wrote:

She was doing her job by following the rules that have been set for her. It is you who fail to "understand logic that most toddlers can follow." You can't honestly expect everyone in the world to bend the rules to your will by means of poor reasoning and crappy persuasion skills. Rules are rules. They're set so they can be followed.

On November 29 2012 13:28 Takkara wrote:


Who said anything about being raw. You made a dumb comment implying that the shop owner is dumb for hanging up political signs, and it's demonstrably a false statement. The fact that the poster was up (pro-Obama or pro-Romney) could easily be a good business move depending on location in the country and the average client. You're simply wrong. That part of your rant was just wrong.

On November 29 2012 13:27 tec27 wrote:

Businesses don't deal directly with Visa, they deal with payment networks who deal with Visa. You weren't arguing that it was against Visa guidelines for them to do this, you were arguing that they can't do basic math. I work on a product that interfaces between payment networks and merchants, so I'm quite well informed on the subject, whereas you you spend hundreds of dollars at a convenience store a month and can't seem to budget your money such that $5 in your bank account isn't the difference between paying your bills and not. Who do you think knows more about how credit/debit cards work?

On November 29 2012 13:35 micronesia wrote:
Most likely whoever the shop owner deals with electronically for debit card purchases has their own contract such that small purchases are disallowed. In order for the shop owner to compensate for that, they would need send a cut of what they saved with the cash you gave them, and forward it to the third party. Of course, this is horribly inefficient so this third party just wouldn't allow it, regardless of the sub-toddleresque logic of the cashier, as you put it.

On November 29 2012 13:43 heliusx wrote:


I sincerely doubt that is the case since practically every card issuer has clauses in the contracts for merchants that the merchant cannot have a minimum on any debit card purchases.

On November 29 2012 13:42 heliusx wrote:


If you worked in the industry you would know the things you stated were false. Secondly theses no need for personal attacks on my finances you have no clue about my situation except for the fact that I have a specific amount of cash in one of my accounts and that I only had $5 on me. The fact that you're implying I'm a broke idiot who can't balance my funds is hilarious.

On November 29 2012 13:45 micronesia wrote:

It is a common practice. I suggest you ask them what the exact reason is for why they can't accept a small payment on a debit card if it is accompanied by a sufficient cash payment to make up the difference. While it's no guarantee, they may actually give an answer that puts the issue to rest.

BTW I am generally not supportive of using debit cards, except as a backup. I use either cash or credit depending on the circumstances.

On November 29 2012 13:22 heliusx wrote:


Take is somewhere else I knew I should have just said "political signs" because a lot of republicans are still raw about the election. I thought tl was more mature than that but I guess not. I'm assuming more than one post in here was hostile only because the romney comment.

No, I believe in a one party system not so different than cuba and NKorea.

p.s. you fail to see the point of it all.

On November 29 2012 13:59 Dukeinator wrote:

The sad thing is you're taking about me and I don't support Romney. If it were an Obama sign I bet you wouldn't have made any snide remarks. You're just a bigot and frankly, pretty stupid.

P.s. You fail to acknowledge that this is a standard business practice.

It's ok, be butthurt and cry to people on a forum. I bet the owner doesn't want business from some rude drunk like yourself.

On November 29 2012 14:05 Carnivorous Sheep wrote:
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged... at the cashier.

On November 29 2012 14:03 heliusx wrote:

You don't know what a bigot is.



lol.

On November 29 2012 14:09 Carnivorous Sheep wrote:
Pretty much all of your assumptions are based on your ignorance to the subject so I'm not even going to waste my time addressing the rest.

On November 29 2012 14:08 Dukeinator wrote:


Let me help you.

Bigot - a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.

It's the main reason why everyone who responds to this thread is calling you an idiot. I don't expect you to figure it out, but you can't say you haven't been told.

On November 29 2012 14:13 heliusx wrote:



Good for you. Usually when someone has nothing to say they say nothing.

On November 29 2012 14:15 heliusx wrote:



You posted a definition of bigot, yet you still don't know what it means.

On November 29 2012 13:45 micronesia wrote:
BTW I am generally not supportive of using debit cards, except as a backup. I use either cash or credit depending on the circumstances.

On November 29 2012 14:20 Iranon wrote:
Good lord did this thread take a nosedive...



Mind sharing why?

On November 29 2012 14:19 Dukeinator wrote:


He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.

It was your political intolerance that lead to the "bigot" comment. Man you ARE dense. No saving you.

On November 29 2012 13:08 heliusx wrote:


No, I believe in a one party system not so different than cuba and NKorea.

p.s. you fail to see the point of it all.

On November 29 2012 14:24 heliusx wrote:


Are you seriously having trouble differentiating between "political intolerance" and thinking it's dumb to plaster your place of business with political advertisements (regardless) of your ideology?

On November 29 2012 14:33 Dukeinator wrote:


Who are you to tell someone how to run their business? People are free to have whatever political affiliation they want and can advertise it wherever they want. That is part of what it means to be a free country. If you choose to not support them that's your choice. Same goes for them mandating a 5 dollar minimum on a debit card. If you don't like it, don't go there. They don't have to sell you anything. AND if you feel like they are abusing the law then go ahead and report them to the BBB. I don't understand why you're looking for sympathy from people on here, we really don't care that you're outraged about a 5 dollar minimum and everyone is retardz lolol.

On November 29 2012 14:36 muffinbaby wrote:
Man, that is pretty rough. Their dumb policy messed up your finances! Businesses need to do a better job at stimulating the economy.

On November 29 2012 14:39 heliusx wrote:


Because that was all relevant to the fact you used the word bigot incorrectly.

On November 29 2012 14:39 heliusx wrote:


Because that was all relevant to the fact you used the word bigot incorrectly.

So basically the owners failure to understand logic that most toddlers can follow has lost her a customer that stops in all the time to pick up beer and gas. What a retard, then again what do you expect from someone who thinks it's a good idea to decorate their business with romney signs during the election.

On November 29 2012 14:45 Dukeinator wrote:


OK, I'll just leave this here. Like I said before, I wouldn't expect you to actually realize what you're saying. It's clear from this forum you have very poor communication skills.

On November 29 2012 14:50 heliusx wrote:

You still don't understand what bigotry is. Adding a new personal attack with each of your many replies doesn't change that.

On November 29 2012 15:54 Ximeng wrote:
I read TL everyday but post approximately once a month. A thread has to really catch my attention before I feel the temptation to hit that login button and even then I can usually stay the desire for long enough to close the browser.

This blog however is one of the best cases of trolling on TL that I have seen in a long time and the number of posters I hold in high regard that have fallen for the trap is sufficient for me to post here in recognition of the OP's ability.

Excellence should be recognized even if it is excellence is such childish endeavor.

On November 29 2012 13:53 heliusx wrote:

You're right it's very common at small time convenience stores but never in chain stores. The fact is it's prohibited by the card issuers even if it is not tightly enforced. Now credit cards are a different ball game and the frank dodd act made it a "right" for merchants to be able to enforce a minimum of $10 or less. The owner told me the issue was with the fee they get charged per swipe, which is why it was mind boggling. My Mom owns a jewelry store that deals with a lot of cards for payment and the charges on debit can be anywhere from .25 to .75 a swipe depending on how crappy your contract is, which is why they want $5 minimum purchase. A minimum on the amount charged to the card regardless of the purchase size makes no sense. And neither does losing a customer who pumps gas in your place religiously.

On November 29 2012 12:17 heliusx wrote:
After work today I decided to stop at the gas station and buy some beers. Well I was going to pay with $5 cash and put the rest on my card since i needed the rest of the money in my account for bills in the next few days. So I tell the cashier I'll pay the rest with my debit card and she tells me there is a $5 minimum purchase on cards. So I told her I was aware but I was spending almost $10 anyway so it makes no difference. So she gets the owner who I tell the same thing and she says the same thing "$5 minimum purchase on your card". I tell the owner it makes zero difference if I spend $9.50 on my debit or $5 in cash and $4.50 on my card. She promptly tells me "sorry, that's the rule". So basically the owners failure to understand logic that most toddlers can follow has lost her a customer that stops in all the time to pick up beer and gas. What a retard, then again what do you expect from someone who thinks it's a good idea to decorate their business with romney signs during the election.

On November 29 2012 14:22 micronesia wrote:
I wouldn't use debit

On November 29 2012 14:22 micronesia wrote:
edit: I forgot to mention credit cards will protect you from fraud better also (as well as give you a cushion while settling a dispute with a merchant)

On November 30 2012 01:10 divito wrote:

Why though? I've yet to see you list a reason against debit.

I never have to use cash anywhere (other than a night out at a club/bar); this cuts down on having to possess enough cash on hand to make certain purchases, especially if I'm not able to visit a bank/ATM; I never require a visit to a bank/ATM; and it allows me to easily assess what's available.


This is probably relative to banks as well, as experiences with my bank compared to friends'/families' banks differ greatly in regards to this. Not saying credit isn't better, but my debit instances in this area have personally been favorable.

As for the OP, it is completely standard (in Canada and where I live) to have a minimum purchase, or a surcharge to the purchase at small convenience stores. As you noted later on, given that they pay per transaction, most simply do not do enough business to be able to warrant whatever situation they're in for their debit/credit transactions fees.

On November 29 2012 13:22 heliusx wrote:


Take is somewhere else I knew I should have just said "political signs" because a lot of republicans are still raw about the election. I thought tl was more mature than that but I guess not. I'm assuming more than one post in here was hostile only because the romney comment.

On November 29 2012 23:52 neSix wrote:

To discuss the matter at hand, I agree that the minimum policies can be annoying... but making this big a deal out of $0.50 seems completely insane.

On November 30 2012 04:16 FFGenerations wrote:


it's not an issue of 50p, its an issue of monumental stupidity and utter mindlessness & refusal to use one's own brain. especially when OP knows that the woman is losing at least £10 and perhaps an entire regular customer worth £100s.

i was refused cigarettes at a shop the other day. i am nearly 30, 6'2'' tall (so not an unusually young-looking guy). i work in a newsagents myself so know that yes its good to ID people and yes definitely you can make mistakes especially if you are new to the job and/or tired.

you are supposed to ID people who "look under 25" but the brain does not end there. infact, you are permitted to use your own personal judgement so if you think someone is over 18 or appears to be over 18 to you then you can serve them.

so when i was IDed i explained to the girl a bit of my life story, a 30 second rundown