I was just at a Nissan Dealer with my mom yesterday. She's buying a car and wanted to put as much as possible on her credit card (she has the cash to pay the bill when it comes in. They told her the maximum amount they'll take on a credit card it a $500 deposit.

Someone overheard and said he found this at all the dealers he went to.

Marcia

I know this is heresy around here, but keep in mind that trying to use a credit card will hurt your negotiating position. Mercants pay something around 2-3% of the amount in processing fees to the credit card company, so to them it's like giving you another $600-$900 off on the price of a $30,000 car.

Technically they're not allowed to charge extra for CC or discount cash payment, but good luck arguing that. Those rules are in their contracts with the Credit Card companies.

The heresy I refer to is the thought that the points you get might not be worth the increased cost of your car.

MYMMV

Who says you mention a credit card payment before you hammer out the best deal? Whether you pay with cash, credit card, check, or finance, the price should be the same. 3% would be a high percentage for a dealer to pay, except for AMEX. I'd guess most dealers would rate a 1.5-2.0% rate, given their higher volumes.

Go to a Volvo dealer and buy a car for European delivery at Göteborg. They'll give you two free SAS tickets to GOT, and you'll save around 9% on the price of the car. Use your credit card for part of the purchase if you want, or use it for a great week or two (or just a weekend) in Sweden. Then drop the car for free shipping back to the dealer, where you'll pick it up a few weeks later. CC miles and a free trip, and savings on the wheels.

http://www.volvocars.us/salesandserv...rseasdelivery/ (See the "added incentives" under Step 4.)

Good luck to you..

The situation is different at almost every dealership. The large multi branded
dealers have set standards for this. I have found the normal amount allowed to be between 1000 and 5000 dollars.
That being said I have seen a dealer take the whole amount on the credit card
for a car they either wanted to move or they had enough profit built in to cover their fees.
The bottom line is when you have come to the final moment of the negotiation and you are about to say yes to the price, mention that you will only accept the deal if they will accept XXX dollars as payment.(or down payment).
By this time they have spent a lot of time with you and do not want to lose a deal. They will probably give you some bs at that point, but if you stick to your guns, they will, at some point, accept more cc monies.

good luck

As has been suggested, you should check out the other thread which discusses these issues at length. To cut right to the chase, however, dealers may try to limit the amount you can charge or they could charge you a transaction fee if you let them. But according to their contracts with MC/VISA, they cannot, and if you complain to your card company, they will let you charge the whole cost on the card and will not charge a fee or other penalty for using your card. Naturally, you'll want to negotiate your best deal first before telling them you are putting the whole thing on a CC.