I've had credit cards and checking accounts and ATM/bank cards since the early 1980's. We moved here only 3 years ago. I also lived in Florida in the late 1980's. My experience in The Villages has been the first time I have -ever- been charged a surcharge for the privilege of using a credit card to pay for anything other than gasoline at the pump. Gas at the pump usually cost a few cents more than cash, and at some point even that was made illegal in Connecticut. I think they've recently allowed it again.

The cost of doing business was always woven into the price of the product. Maybe it's just a Florida thing? We never had to pay a fee to pay our taxes by credit card til we came here. I'm thinking maybe next time my car registration is due for renewal I'll pay in person, with rolled pennies.

And punishing the customer is not?

As a past retail business owner, in the early 2000's I was happy to take the credit cards as opposed to chasing down bad checks especially with a prosecutors office that had no interest in messing with it. The theory was at least I have the money. Eventually I just quit taking checks. Then came along the Credit Card chargeback which has become rampant. I have friends that own a restaurant and if people are not happy with the food or service and the manager doesn't make it right (give it to them for free), they just chargeback their credit card. In retail, I would usually have 2 or 3 chargebacks a month and the credit card bank Always sides with their customer. I'm old enough to remember writing a check for my bill at a nicer restaurant. I wonder how many chargebacks our local business's have.

Almost every government agency charges a fee to use a credit card. That has been the case UpNorth since forever. Same with the IRS if you pay your taxes with a card. Many businesses are also joining in.

This is nothing new, and nothing specific to FL. It's been there...maybe you just didn't notice.

Was in a bakery in another state buying a coffee and pastry, when I got my $10 bill out to pay, I was told: "WE ONLY ACCEPT CARDS - USE THE PANEL TO TAP OR SWIPE!"

I was about to say "No thanks - Keep it", but was too hungry to refuse. On the charge panel were 3 choices: 20%, 25% and 30% tip. I declined . I'm sure many others do too in irritation. There was no 4% surcharge for using a CC. (Luckily) The sales person seemed to be the owner. I don't tip owners. I said, "So I can't leave you a cash tip, then, if you don't handle money!" People behind me got a chuckle out of that.

The way they get around this roadblock is that the coffee isn't poured or the pastry picked until you pay.

Odd incident. It was in a touristy town. I'm sure the residents don't shop there.

Skip

BTW: Connecticut, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico have laws prohibiting fees on using credit cards.
In New York the price when usung a credit card must be posted some how (on the menu or on a sign at check out).
In another state my bill had a line item: "BOH service charge 3%" That was a 3% added tip for the kitchen help in addition to what you were giving your server!!!!
Had one incident where there was a $ surcharge added for CC and when I got it home, it calculated to be 4.5%.
This is getting crazy.
I now write on the signed credit slip: "You just lost a customer because of your surcharges".

Skip

The customer has the option to pay cash. Punishing an employee is wrong. The servers work hard for their tips.

Punishing the server for the owner's action? Classy...

You're going to pay for it one way or another. Either thru a surcharge or thru higher prices...

Correct...

How does the server punish the customer?

This surcharge has seemed to have started when CC companies jumped on the cash back perk and restaurants seemed to push back with their own cash back to themselves.

I just wish more restaurants had Apple Pay terminals at the table for fraud protection. I hate having to give wait staff my card so they can take a picture of it and send it to their shady friends.

I have blacked out the CVV number on back of card after remembering it.
I never hand card to anyone if touch and pay not available, always put card in reader myself.
Use phone for payment as much as possible, cash in restaurants, and I won't eat in any that presume I have enjoyed my meal and add their own service charge.
Works for me.

Seven Eleven
 

7/11 always charges an additional $1 fee if you fill up at Magnolia. It’s two lines on my statement.

Are you sure you are reading your statement correctly? When I fill up at Walmart, my statement shows a $1 charge and another charge for the gas, but these are both "pending" charges. When they are no longer pending, the $1 charge is dropped and not charged against my account. I think it is just a temporary holding charge for security.

Exactly right. The charges for $1.00 showing as pending charges are not actual charges. They are pre-authorization charges to verify the credit card being used is valid.