Originally Posted by josephstern

So if there were a credit card that charged merchants 10% and gave the cardmember back 8%, you'd encourage merchants to accept it? Surely, customers would want it, right? But it would be patently ridiculous.

Essentially, you're getting other patrons of the restaurant to subsidize your food by costing the merchant more.

Again, I do use Amex at restaurants (only) because of Amex's rewards there with my Costco card. But anywhere else, I just can't do that to the merchant.