Originally Posted by
chichow
Can the merchant just refuse to take the payment via card then? Saying they will not process the transaction?
I am asking both from a legal and a practical standpoint.
I can complain all I want to Visa/MC later on, but in the meantime I just won't get my goods/services.
Its hard to argue with some tellers and it doesn't help when they ask you for your zip code and you refuse and they start looking at you funny.
The merchant can do what the merchant wants, but refusing the accept your card because you will not produce ID is a violation of their merchant agreement and the merchant can lose their ability to accept the cards by having their agreement cancelled by Visa. I have complained to Visa in the past and they have sent warning letters to merchants, who, in turn, changed their practice.
You mentioned tellers. The rules may be different for taking a cash advance from a bank--I don't know.