How To Get Around Minimum Purchase Amount Requirements To Pay Via Credit Card
Posted January 20th, 2010 and last modified May 13th, 2011
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There are a lot of stores that require a minimum purchase amount in order for you to use your credit card to make a transaction. Read this article to find out how you can handle this and still make your purchase using your card.
Many stores these days have implemented a minimum purchase amount for credit cards. If you have run into this situation, and want to know how to best handle it, then here are a few things you should know.
Minimum purchase amount:
Let’s say you are going to a convenience store and they tell you that they do not accept credit cards for any purchases under $10. The reason they are doing this is they want you to purchase more from them, or because they are not happy with the interchange fee they have to pay when a credit card is processed. They can also choose to not accept the cards at all.
It is up to the merchant to make their store more profitable or to get in touch with their processor for credit cards to negotiate a better price for the processing.
You – as the customer, do not have to worry about this. You should be permitted to use your credit card, no matter what the minimum purchase amount is set at, if they accept your type of credit card.
You have the right to use your card despite any minimum purchase amount set by the store. If they refuse, they are actually violating their agreement for merchant processing. You can let them know about this politely, and if they will not allow you to make the purchase, then you can make a call to MasterCard or Visa.
Whether your purchase is for $5 or $50, you have the right to use your MasterCard or Visa debit or credit card.
If you have an American Express card, then you should know that they discourage a minimum purchase amount because cardholders don’t like them, but they do not prohibit an amount being set.
You should stand up for yourself and make sure that you are allowed to use your card anywhere you go, especially if you are collecting Air Miles or rewards points on your card and want to use it for day to day purchases.
Your credit card also gives you more fraud and warranty protection, and this is probably one of the reasons you got the card in the first place.
If you want to use your card but the store tells you that there is a minimum purchase amount required, stand up for your rights. You should also let others know that they have the right to use their cards as well.
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