Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Credit Card surcharges
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Old 11-07-2023, 12:20 PM
retiredguy123 retiredguy123 is offline
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Originally Posted by MandoMan View Post
The charges are now legal. While you may not get a discount if you use a credit card, sellers pay 1.5 to 3.5% to the card company. That’s like a mandatory discount on your bill, except that you don’t get it. It’s for the convenience of getting to use a card today and pay later rather than having to tote around a lot of cash. I don’t like the charges, but in some businesses, the profit margin is pretty slim.

Meanwhile, when you get your monthly bill for the Amenities Fee and trash, water, and sewage, have you ever paid that bill online using a credit card? The company that handles that charges a LOT for that convenience. Unless you are out of town, write a check and put it in an envelope and put it in the slot for Villages payments found at every Villages Postal Station when you pick up your mail. That saves you the price of a stamp (around $7.50 a year, just in postage).
I make the amenities payment using an Echeck from my bank's online bill payment system. It bypasses the District's vendor and avoids their $0.95 fee. Also, you don't need to sign up for autopay. The invoice neglects to mention this payment method, apparently because they want you to use the vendor.