Northwest Indiana Discussion

I just popped in on the restaurant forum where a poster described her experience of picking up a pizza at a Greek Restaurant and the restaurant told her there was a minimum charge on her charge card, even though the amount of the sale totaled I believe $35.00.

I went to the "Fixer" column on the Chicago Sun-Times, and quoted a response regarding the subject of merchants forcing people to charge or debit a "minimum",

Did you know that this is against the merchant's agreement with the credit card/debit companies, and when you tell the merchants, they reply that it is "their policy"?

You can argue with the merchant until you are blue in the face, but trust me, print out the following, and slap a copy in the merchant's face and take your business elsewhere.

I'm sure many of you have encountered this problem, being forced to buy more or double what you intended and being penalized for not carrying cash.

It's been a pet peeve for years for me....and so, I would like to take the time to spread the word by quoting the Fixer's second time of responding to this situation.

I, too, have encountered many merchants where they required minimum purchases whether I used my debit (bank) card - Visa or Mastercharge. I reported them, and amazingly, using the fixer's information, a lot of places are now requiring no minimum.

The law is on your side. Fixer has posted the below - for the second time, stressing what everyone should need to know.

The merchants pay at a minimum fifty cents per transaction when you use your card. That's all - so don't fall for their trap and excuses.


Dear Fixer: What is the number to call to report a store imposing credit card minimums?

Brian Keating, Plainfield


Dear Brian: This is the annoying practice some merchants have of forcing customers to spend a certain amount if they want to use a credit card, which is not allowed under their merchant agreements with the credit card companies. Hence, The Fixer's Movement Against Improper Minimums, or MAIM. Welcome aboard.

The answer is: If you encounter a merchant setting a minimum or maximum purchase amount or imposing a surcharge, you can report them to the credit companies, which will intervene through the merchant's bank.

For MasterCard, you can fill out a merchant violation form at mastercard.com/us/personal/en/contactus/ merchantviolations.html.

For Visa, call the number on the back of your card to file a report.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1150382,CST-NWS-Fixer08.article