Local Businesses Won't Add New Credit Card Fee
Business Improvement District says members don't plan on pushing charges down to customers.
Despite allowance of businesses to pass credit card fees on to customers, stores in Hackettstown part of the Business Improvement District won’t handing those new rates down to their customers.
Due to an agreement between retailers and credit card companies, businesses were given the approval last month to charge up to 4-percent more as a “swipe” fee for customers using credit cards, according to a report on 7online.com.
Forty states across the country were given the ability to do so, with New Jersey being one of them. The Hackettstown Business Improvement District asked its members last week if they planned on pushing the fees down to customers, and so far, no local businesses are.
The BID’s Executive Director Jim Sheldon said that feedback over the past few days shows no local businesses will add the surcharge, but he’s still waiting on all members to reply.
If a business does decide to add the fee, it is required to prominently display signs saying they are charging customers for using credit cards. Debit cards are not affected by the new measures.
Large national retailers WalMart and Home Depot both announced they will not take part in charging the additional fees.