Credit Card Fee (3%) -- DELETE IF PAYING BY ACH, WIRE OR ZELLE

Credit cards are a hidden tax on our economy.  Any business that accepts credit cards pays a percentage, typically 3% for Mastercard and Visa, and 4% for American Express, for every credit card transaction. 

The credit card companies have trained us well.  Years of marketing has convinced us that we are wise to charge everything we can on plastic to collect 'points', airline miles or 1% cash back.  Meanwhile, merchants everywhere have had to build in higher pricing to cover the cost.  Every business, shop, restaurant, bar, gas station etc has to charge extra to cover the cost. 

If the government (local, state or federal) proposed a new 3% tax on top of everything we buy, there would be discussions, protests, debates.  But the credit card companies have gotten us to go along with one without us thinking about it!  Slow clap for their clever marketing and business strategy. 

When I first went into business 28 years ago, the agreement I had to sign required that I not discourage paying by credit card.  In other words, pretend that I'm just as happy to accept credit cards, and to receive 3 or 4% less money, than to receive payment in full.  Most customers had no idea that to pay with plastic is to short-pay the merchant.  Most thought their 'points', 'miles', or 'cash back' was free money, a gift from their awesome loving credit card company.  

A major class-action lawsuit against Visa and Mastercard, finalized in a $30 billion settlement in 2019, finally removed the restrictions that prevented merchants from encouraging customers to use other payment methods.   

Rant over.