I really hate when stores have signs like “$5 minimum for credit cards.” I try to use credit cards to pay for stuff as much as possible. Using less cash means going to the ATM less frequently and not having to deal with loose change. It’s so easy to get a credit card out, swipe it, and then put it back into my wallet. Much easier than fishing through the back pocket of my wallet for the right bills, and then trying to get whatever change comes to me in the right order back into my wallet. I must have bills in my wallet sorted by denomination. I am anal like that. Yes, it’s true that by not using cash, I am less reluctant to spend money since I’m not actually seeing the money leave my hands and go into the store’s cash register. But I would like to think that I’m a fairly responsible spender, and that I don’t spend all that much more using a credit card than I would have had I not been paying with cash. I decide what I’m buying when I’m far away from the cash register, after all. So I just want to use my credit card for everything, and worry about paying the money at the end of each month.
The thing that gets me is that these minimum amounts for credit cards are actually forbidden by the credit card companies. These stores are breaking the rules in their contracts with the credit card companies to avoid having to pay interchange fees to them on small purchases. Yes, I understand that with small purchases, the interchange fees could make the sale unprofitable for the store. But it’s inconvenient for me. Sure, I could report them like the article says. But that just feels a little bit… whistleblower-y to me. And I hate being confrontational. So I end up just muttering under my breath and whipping out the small amount of cash I need to cover whatever small purchase I’m making. But secretly, I’m bitter that I can’t use credit because I didn’t buy enough to meet their minimum. Well, not so secretly anymore I guess, since I wrote a blog post about it.