Credit Card Fees

[Woo25]

How do attraction owners handle the credit card fees assessed to them by your merchant processors for ON SITE swipes? (not online tix) Do you pass on the fee to the customer or not? I have heard of people using "convenience fees" to pass on the charge to the customer, but isn't this in violation of the credit card contract? I am dealing with this issue right now and need feedback from attraction owners who have dealt with this issue before. What do you do? Thanks for your help!

[harrishaven]

it is a violation of credit card contracts to basically penalize people for using them. You would have to raise your prices for everyone to cover those who use a card

[Woo25]

ok, that was my understanding but I wanted to make sure.

[monsterwax]

We stopped using credit cards because they began $15 monthly service fees in addition to the 3.5% commission. (Screw 'em, coz they're sure trying to screw us.) They even had the moxie to begin this change during the recession. But more people use paypal which charges no monthly fee, so it hasn't had any negative impact. Plus, the online tickets. So we tell them cash only, unless you buy your tickets ahead of time. Seems to work well.

[shawnc]

Get a company to set up a portable ATM machine at the end of your ticket line. They charge a fee, but the customers have the opportunity to go to their own bank beforehand if they know they need cash.

I am somewhat amazed at how little cask people carry these days. Equally amazing are the number of places that take cards, which I guess goes hand in hand.

[Brandon_K]

We still don't do CC at the gate. I bet I had at least 100 people buy tickets via our webpage on their smartphone while standing at the ticketbooth.

I'm seriously considering using some old hardware I have laying around and doing a Fandango'ish ticket kiosk. I really don't need anything much more than an old PC and a touchscreen monitor, all of which I have laying around. A little bit of specialized software and an on screen keyboard and viola.

[supermatic]

This was our first year accepting CC. About 10% of our ticket sales were paid for with a credit card. We ate the fees-
I was surprised at the number of phone calls we got asking if we cash only or took CC. I don't think those folks would have come out, if we didn't.

No record nights but a record season (barely) - i think CCs had a bit to do with that.

[chuck weber]

Using a credit card as opposed to cash! Hey, add 4%.. It's a tuff business, you gotta re-coup your costs !!!!!! Things are looking like they're gonna get worse next year. What else can you do ????

[harrishaven]

Also if people decide it was not worth it couldn't they dispute the charge and tie it up for weeks??

[hauntedyardofdoom]

it is a violation of credit card contracts to basically penalize people for using them. You would have to raise your prices for everyone to cover those who use a card

How do the gas stations get around this? Most of them around here charge different prices for credit or cash.