Was offered 15% discount for paying cash by the restaurant? Take that or the miles?
Feb 18, 2006, 6:36 pm
#31
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Ft.Lauderdale,FL
Posts: 74
Here's a senario, let me know if I'm right....Originally tried out this local mom and pop pizza place for the perks of idine to earn miles for an up coming trip.Turns out the food is FABULOUS and I still pay with the cc linked to my idine account.We stop in at least once a week and sometimes more as we have become friendly with the owners. Am I correct in assuming that the owner knows that the cc I use is linked to an idine account because they get the cc numbers or names that causes the money that idine gives them to be deducted from an account?
Feb 21, 2006, 3:14 pm
#32
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 23
Originally Posted by jawa912
Here's a senario, let me know if I'm right....Originally tried out this local mom and pop pizza place for the perks of idine to earn miles for an up coming trip.Turns out the food is FABULOUS and I still pay with the cc linked to my idine account.We stop in at least once a week and sometimes more as we have become friendly with the owners. Am I correct in assuming that the owner knows that the cc I use is linked to an idine account because they get the cc numbers or names that causes the money that idine gives them to be deducted from an account?
The owner would have to match the partial CC with his copy of the receipt to know who you are. While it can easily be done, I'm sure most owner don't go to the trouble.
Feb 21, 2006, 4:08 pm
#33
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Phila Delta ex-PM, ex-UA-PE
Posts: 2,659
Originally Posted by [email protected]
The owner get a report with a partial CC number (I believe the last 4 digits), date, time, amount of charge, and amount they are keeping of the charge.
The owner would have to match the partial CC with his copy of the receipt to know who you are. While it can easily be done, I'm sure most owner don't go to the trouble.
The owner would have to match the partial CC with his copy of the receipt to know who you are. While it can easily be done, I'm sure most owner don't go to the trouble.
Since the discount was for the max amount, it would have required a $600+ bill, which they probably don't see too many of. I likely wasn't that difficult for them to track it back to us. For more regular purchases though, I don't think the restaurant would go thru the effort.
Jeff
Mar 6, 2006, 12:35 pm
#34
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Charleston, SC, USA
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RE: Tips & the IRS:
I have heard that in Canada tips are not taxable income!
Or perhaps theoretically taxable but ignored/unenforced by Revenue Canada. Furthermore, Canadian tipped employees must be paid >= full minimum wage (C$6--8.50 hourly, varies by province.) Therefore Canada is a much better place 2B a waitperson or bartender.
I have heard that in Canada tips are not taxable income!
Or perhaps theoretically taxable but ignored/unenforced by Revenue Canada. Furthermore, Canadian tipped employees must be paid >= full minimum wage (C$6--8.50 hourly, varies by province.) Therefore Canada is a much better place 2B a waitperson or bartender.
Mar 15, 2006, 2:56 pm
#35
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Originally Posted by rhwbullhead
Yes, a surcharge is prohibited. The cash discount is also prohibited because it's another way of doing the same thing a surcharge does: punish people who pay by credit cards by making them pay more. Think about why a surcharge on the credit card transactions is not allowed. People who might use a credit card might not do so if they end up having to pay more. The credit card co's then end up losing their cut the transactions where people would have charged had the price been the same. If cash discounts were allowed, consider the following.
If I had a store, we agree that I could not do the following for a $10 item. I could not add a $2 fee as a surcharge, nor could I had a % fee as a surchrage.
If cash discounts were allowed, I could just make $12 my regular price for that same $10 item. This is what credit card users would have to pay. I would then have another price, the $10 price for the same item for people who paid with cash. The cash discount is now $2 for the item. As you can see, I'm basically charging credit card users a $2 surcharge, but calling it something else. The cards prohibit this trick.
I stand by my statement that Maza violated its merchant agreement. It cannot offer me a cash discount because the prices are fixed on the menu. The owner would have to have each item listed with a regular price, and "cash discount" price. He simply could not make the offer at the end of the meal.
Someday, heck, maybe later today, I'll try to find some links where one can report such violations. I've never reported a violation, but I would do so if I had a link that I could go to which would allow me to report violations in less than 5 mins.
If I had a store, we agree that I could not do the following for a $10 item. I could not add a $2 fee as a surcharge, nor could I had a % fee as a surchrage.
If cash discounts were allowed, I could just make $12 my regular price for that same $10 item. This is what credit card users would have to pay. I would then have another price, the $10 price for the same item for people who paid with cash. The cash discount is now $2 for the item. As you can see, I'm basically charging credit card users a $2 surcharge, but calling it something else. The cards prohibit this trick.
I stand by my statement that Maza violated its merchant agreement. It cannot offer me a cash discount because the prices are fixed on the menu. The owner would have to have each item listed with a regular price, and "cash discount" price. He simply could not make the offer at the end of the meal.
Someday, heck, maybe later today, I'll try to find some links where one can report such violations. I've never reported a violation, but I would do so if I had a link that I could go to which would allow me to report violations in less than 5 mins.
Last edited by drbond; Mar 15, 2006 at 3:05 pm Reason: for size of quote
Mar 15, 2006, 3:54 pm
#36
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It was explained to me by a Visa rep that cash discounts are allowed. My dentist had me sign a financial liability understanding form as a new patient, wherein patients who pay cash on large balances (5K+ I believe) get 5% off. This was after this thread had started, and I was impressed that his office was complying so carefully with their agreement, rather than trying to impose contractually illegal restrictions.
Drbond -- any chance all these weasels with their bleeping minimum transactions and/or surcharges will ever get in trouble? Knowing they're not allowed to do this makes it truly frustrating to run across.
Drbond -- any chance all these weasels with their bleeping minimum transactions and/or surcharges will ever get in trouble? Knowing they're not allowed to do this makes it truly frustrating to run across.
Mar 18, 2006, 4:36 pm
#37
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Originally Posted by [email protected]
The owner get a report with a partial CC number (I believe the last 4 digits), date, time, amount of charge, and amount they are keeping of the charge.
The owner would have to match the partial CC with his copy of the receipt to know who you are. While it can easily be done, I'm sure most owner don't go to the trouble.
The owner would have to match the partial CC with his copy of the receipt to know who you are. While it can easily be done, I'm sure most owner don't go to the trouble.
Every time I've been there so far (eating at either 8 or 9), I've been the ONLY diner there for the whole duration of my visit! Unless I've just "lucked out" on the only nights when they've had virtually no business, I think the owner could spot me real quickly: "Look, the only spending we're getting after 8 pm on weeknights are from iDine customers!" (I've used different cards on different visits because of changing promos, so unless they looked at the name they might not realize it's just one customer, not two.)