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Sunday, January 06, 2013

'Checkout Fee' Could Be Added To Credit Card Purchases Soon

Just as credit card holders begin mending the wounds of their holiday purchases, they could be sideswiped by a new fee.

The consumer advocacy group Consumer Action is urging people to be on alert for so-called checkout fees some retailers could begin to impose on credit card transactions starting Jan. 27.

Merchant trade groups contend most retailers, fearing customer backlash, will not charge the fee. But Consumer Action wants cardholders to be aware of the possibility and options for fighting back.

"We're not sure whether retailers are going to charge these fees," said Ruth Susswein, deputy director of national priorities at Consumer Action in Washington, D.C. "They may not for competitive reasons. Some of it will depend on whether the other guy does it."

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Greed = stupidity. Writing checks is more burdensome and risky for a merchant than charging. Or now I can risk my safety and carry a pocket full of cash and I can do cash deals that they can not track and I can get discounts on. Shortsighted stupid greedy people. I will happily shop elsewhere. Lets see how long this lasts when they spend all their money trying to collect on bad checks. This is why most merchants do not take personal checks and turned to credit cards.

Anonymous said...

5:21...According to the article, this fee will only be assessed to credit card purchases...not debit purchases.