Maybe my memory is faulty, but I never remembered having to pay a surcharge to use a credit card. Now everywhere I go there are signs saying that there is a 2.5-3.5% surcharge to use a car (and others that say that there’s a 2.5-3.5% discount for using cash, I assume to get around wording)
Good question. I believe the card companies used to have language in their agreements stating that vendors were not allowed to specifically charge fees for card usage. So you used to occasionally see places offering a discount for cash like you said.
But I have been seeing more and more places outright stating a card fee, so I wonder if those agreements have changed in the last several years.
Not sure where you are located, but A quick search says that there are some US states with laws banning card surcharges, but most allow them.
Unfortunately, you know those fees were baked into pricing structures long ago, so any place charging an extra fee for card usage is definitely double-dipping.