Orange Julius @ oakridge centre

[.: Kay :.]

I was ordering a smoothie from this OJ the other day. I notified the cashier that I had my SPC card and a valid student ID. I showed her everything i was about to pay for my drink with my mastercard. She then said to me that she would only honor the SPC discount (10% off) if I paid by cash. I would not receive the discount if i paid by a credit card.
I was just taken back a little bit because I've never had issues with using my SPC card at OJ before. Did this happen to anyone else?

[pippinelkhound]

Well, every retailer that accepts credit cards pays a commission to Mastercard or Visa. Maybe it cuts their profit margin too close?

[Deal_Princess]

why didnt u just use ur debt card?

[.: Kay :.]

I only get less than 10 transactions on my debit each month. anything over 10 i have to pay per transaction.
I prefer using my credit card because i can collect pc mastercard points.

[squish]

why didnt u just use ur debt card?

Not to be a nag here, but using your debit card anywhere but your bank is strongly inadvisable. Fraud is at an unimaginable high right now... skimming devices lurk around every corner, and if you happen to fall prey to one, it could take months to get your money back. With a credit card, however, the fraudulent transaction(s) is usually refunded very quickly, and it's not really your money on the line. As well, if you're a smart shopper, you should be getting some sort of rewards or benefits on your credit card!

[pippinelkhound]

Lets see $3 (just a guestimate) less 10% SPC is $2.70, less 5% for cc handling fee (0.15) equals $2.55 for the smoothie. Deduct cost of labour, ingredients, mall space, I can see why they said no credit cards.

Don't you get unlimited debit card transactions with PC banking?

What we forget is no merchant is obligated to take credit cards. I've seen a lot of food court places with signs saying no debit or credit transactions on purchases under $5, so the handling fees must really bite into their profit margin.

[Deal_Princess]

Lets see $3 (just a guestimate) less 10% SPC is $2.70, less 5% for cc handling fee (0.15) equals $2.55 for the smoothie. Deduct cost of labour, ingredients, mall space, I can see why they said no credit cards.

Don't you get unlimited debit card transactions with PC banking?

What we forget is no merchant is obligated to take credit cards. I've seen a lot of food court places with signs saying no debit or credit transactions on purchases under $5, so the handling fees must really bite into their profit margin.

Yes PC gives u unlimited card transactions. I figured everyone uses them. haha I closed my old account that only gave me 10 a month.


Also the card fraud is out there but at big box retailers its less likely also with chip technology its a bit harder.

[Nothing To See Here]

A creditcard for a $3 purchase? Seriously doesn't anyone carry cash anymore??

Also whoever said the debit card is less safe than a credit card due to possible fraud is completely incorrect.

[squish]

A creditcard for a $3 purchase? Seriously doesn't anyone carry cash anymore??

Also whoever said the debit card is less safe than a credit card due to possible fraud is completely incorrect.

I never said a debit card was less safe than a credit card. I said that it's easier and faster to get your money back from credit card fraud.

[Jeniana]

A creditcard for a $3 purchase? Seriously doesn't anyone carry cash anymore??

Also whoever said the debit card is less safe than a credit card due to possible fraud is completely incorrect.

I'm not the OP, but why would I use cash when I get 1% back with my PC Mastercard? I put everything I can on my credit card. $3 spent is only 3 cents back, but it's better than nothing and adds up very quickly.

I agree with squish that it's much safer to put charges on a credit card than a debit card - if there is an issue with fraud or some kind of mistake (like a charge going through twice), your own money is not tied up while things are sorted out.

For the original question - you might want to email Orange Julius about this and ask if this is their official policy. You may even want to email MasterCard too and ask if a retailer is allowed to decline your credit card if you use a discount card. Retailers are not allowed to require minimum purchases for credit card transactions, even if they have a sign saying so - it's a violation of their merchant agreement with the credit card company. So, I don't see why they'd be able to reject your card just because you used a discount card.

Here are my sources:
Mastercard: "Another MasterCard acceptance rule prohibits merchants that accept MasterCard cards from establishing any minimum amount below which the merchant won't accept payment via MasterCard card."

Visa: "(...)Visa merchants are not permitted to establish minimum transaction amounts, even on sale items. If you run into a problem like this with a merchant, please notify your Visa card-issuing bank."

[travelgeek]

It's technically true that visa/mc/amex merchant agreements prohibit establishing minimums before accepting the card. But in this case, the merchant is likely a small business owner who can't get the same merchant fee deals as the big companies, like walmart or air canada. So even though I usually charge everything to collect aeroplan miles or avion points, I usually cut these establishments a break by paying cash for anything under $10.

[D-Roc]

It is called card suppression and merchants are not allowed to do this. Regardless of which CC company it is. They can charge a fee for using a card, but the fee has to be the same for whatever card is presented. It can not be for only one company say Amex and not for Visa or MC.

With debit card fraud. Sure there are skimmers/readers out there, but not as plentiful as the one poster implies. One thing you can do to protect yourself is set a withdrawal limit (daily limit). I have one. I am only allowed to withdrawal 100 per day