Dealers charging a fee for using a credit card


I’m wondering if this is the new trend of dealers charging customers anywhere between 3 and 4% fee on the total sale if paying by credit card?   I was going to buy a brand new item online for 5K, but stopped dead in my tracks when I found I was going to have to pay a 3.9% fee for using my Mastercard!  The fee would have been almost $200.00!   Since this dealer has mostly online sales, it sounds like a big money grab to me. Between the 5K price, add $275.00 for shipping and 200 for paying by CC plus sales tax of $300.00, it would have cost me $5775.00.  I cancelled before I clicked send.  I called the dealer and was told that is the cost of doing business on the internet, so I basically told them to pound sand. 
 

Two weeks ago, I had all new brakes and rotors replaced on my 2020 Tucson with only 22K miles on it.  The bill was $1375 and I paid with my card.  When I got the statement, there was a CC fee of $37.00 added to the bill.  I went back to the Hyundai dealer and was told all businesses do this and he pointed to the sign.  I told them I saw the sign but paid with my DEBIT CARD, not a CC.  I was told it didn’t matter.  When I asked how many transactions were in cash, the service writer told me one out of fifteen pay in cash.  This makes me sick to my stomach.  
 

I would like to hear from others who have dealt with this. 

stereo5

Pay the fees or pay with cash! Not like this chit is new, been happening for years. Some retailer's build into their COGS. 

Credit card interchange companies have changed their practices in recent years. I am not exaggerating when I say they have tripled their charges over about five years. It isn't true that the credit card costs are an expected 1.75 - 2% of the amount charged, it is not uncommonly three times that on incentive cards. 

 

Nothing new under the sun.  For decades I have generally been able to negotiate a lower price simply based on the additional cost to the dealer for accommodating the use of credit cards.  If you think it’s free for them to take your card, it’s not.  I generally save 3% by paying with cash or check.