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Paying for a 2 dollar drink with a card is odd IMO.
Always good to have at least some cash with you. Especially with smaller places that don't take cards, come across that many times here for which I was glad I had cash.
I have done it before. January 2010 in the Toronto airport, waiting to fly back to Philadelphia. Ran out of Canadian money. LOL.
IDK if it's odd, though. Some people really do use plastic for everything.
Some merchants enforce minimum credit card purchases. They're not supposed to do that with debit cards.
Paying for a 2 dollar drink with a card is odd IMO.
Always good to have at least some cash with you. Especially with smaller places that don't take cards, come across that many times here for which I was glad I had cash.
You'll get there when even small places take cards.
I have done it before. January 2010 in the Toronto airport, waiting to fly back to Philadelphia. Ran out of Canadian money. LOL.
IDK if it's odd, though. Some people really do use plastic for everything.
Some merchants enforce minimum credit card purchases. They're not supposed to do that with debit cards.
Or the ones who have a minimum $10 CARD purchase, like at a rural gas station when you want to pick up a water or something. Happened last year where I was buying a $1.50 water but used my cash earlier in the day and ended up having to buy another $8.50 of not-needed items.
Ariete: not all smaller places here take cards, and it's always good to have $20 cash on you.
I don't see too many places that don't accept cards. Usually if I do, it's a place trying to tax dodge or avoid paying fees.
Yes, it's becoming difficult to find cash-only businesses.
At the local rodeo, they accept credit cards to buy tickets. But all the snack vendors take cash only.
I was at a small little Polish restaurant/market in Philadelphia where tips were cash-only.
At the Ukrainian festivals I've been to, and the bazaars, that was purely cash. Of course the vendors don't take credit cards. But that's just fine with me, obviously.
Or the ones who have a minimum $10 CARD purchase, like at a rural gas station when you want to pick up a water or something. Happened last year where I was buying a $1.50 water but used my cash earlier in the day and ended up having to buy another $8.50 of not-needed items.
Ariete: not all smaller places here take cards, and it's always good to have $20 cash on you.
Merchants can't be prohibited (e.g., by Visa, MasterCard) from enforcing up to a $10 minimum on credit card transactions.
But as for debit cards, the federal rule does not apply. Businesses technically have to abide by the card networks' policies:
Quote:
Retailers also aren't allowed to impose minimums for debit cards, according to representatives at both Visa and MasterCard, the two largest debit card networks.
"There also may be some merchants who don't fully understand the new law and will try to impose a higher minimum, or one for debit," Visa spokesman Ted Carr says, by email. "In those cases, cardholders can report the situation by contacting their card issuer by calling the number on the back of their card."
How does one pay rent without a paper check? Or do you own?
As others said you set up a standing order/direct debit. Quite simple to do. We rent our place in Malta, but we pay our landlord in cash, which is common here so they don't have to declare it as an income...
Quote:
Originally Posted by nei
I guess that works if the landlord is a large business? I suppose PayPal could work but I have had trouble setting it up
It works for individuals too, you can set up a direct debit to pay any bills or a standing order to pay anyone a set amount a money each month...
Quote:
Originally Posted by nei
As snj90 said it helps your credit card score to use a credit card. And being able to spend more than you have is a useful feature if you're careful. It's not a bad practice to buy a large item you can pay off in a month while still keeping your savings. And a backup in an emergency. Your credit rating takes a hit only if you keep a very large balance or miss payments
It seems things are quite different in the US. Obviously in the UK lots of people do have credit cards, but many people don't like to use them, they are more for emergencies for a lot of people. Literally everyone has a debit card & they are accepted pretty much everywhere.
Why? It definitely can cut significantly into their profits to accept tons of small-dollar credit card transactions. Even the 3% (the rate varies) or so may be a sizable chuck of their profit margin. I sympathize with smaller merchants (e.g., mom & pop stores).
As others said you set up a standing order/direct debit. Quite simple to do. We rent our place in Malta, but we pay our landlord in cash, which is common here so they don't have to declare it as an income...
It works for individuals too, you can set up a direct debit to pay any bills or a standing order to pay anyone a set amount a money each month...
It seems things are quite different in the US. Obviously in the UK lots of people do have credit cards, but many people don't like to use them, they are more for emergencies for a lot of people. Literally everyone has a debit card & they are accepted pretty much everywhere.
I understand that some merchants in the US may actually require a credit card, and not a debit card. Car rental agencies may do this.
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