Originally Posted by
hotturnip
I was under the impression that Visa (at least) had a clause in their merchant agreement that such surcharges for using their credit card were not allowed (even though I know this has become widespread).
That was the case up until 4-5 years ago but there were a series of lawsuits/settlements and law changes that generally made them permissible -- there are some jurisdictions in North America that still explicitly forbid them (don't ask me to name them off the top of my head though) but as a general rule -- as long as they are disclosed and most favored nations are respected (e.g. you can't charge no fee for Amex and a 5% fee for Visa, or a 3% fee for a Visa personal card but a 5% fee for a Visa business card (even though typically the latter has higher fees for merchant acceptance)
I find it objectionable and tend to avoid most businesses that try to pass off their overhead costs on a nickel-and-dime basis (what's next "overhead lighting convenience fee"?) but in most of the US there is absolutely nothing wrong with it from a legal or contractual perspective as long as it is disclosed.
This property, in my specific case, most certainly did not disclose it during any of the opportunities given to them -- and had they I would have likely stayed at the HGI around the corner instead.