I read the linked article and many of the comments. Here are just two of the questions that were posted: Do the retailers have to post a sign that they are adding the fee? Are debit cards included? I realize that retailers are charged a fee for accepting credit cards, but shouldn't that come under the heading of "cost of doing business"? On the other hand, I guess retailers could just hike their prices up to recoup the fees charged by the credit card companies. Either way the consumer loses unless we make our purchases with "cash only".

Cash and carry only. It will help defeat the NEW "Merchant of Venice".

I just enrolled with Amazon prime, it has free two day shipping with most items. If brick and mortar raise their prices by 4% it's an incentive to shop elsewhere or online.

I won't stop using my card. I will just not purchase from anyone who charges extra. I never buy gas from stations that charge cash / credit prices. I usually use major gas station's that don't do that, so if you wish to charge me for using my card, prepare to lose my business.

I agree with FAP. Maybe should have had another choice in the poll - " Shop retailers/e-tailers that chose to not impose the fee".
I guess we'll have to see how this all pans out.

List the stores you find that are charging the checkout fee.

Poster Dan Bautista has a great idea: Tell us the stores you find that are charging a credit card checkout fee and we'll list them on Patch.
Nice job, Dan!

It was a court ruling that caused this. Fee does not apply to debit cards. Merchants already treat fees by credit card companies as a cost of business. Some people apparently don't know that. Now they can charge up to 4% more as a credit card fee on each transaction. But surely the merchants who do this won't be reducing the cost of their products by 4%. Any merchant who starts charging a fee should be boycotted.

"The fee is necessary because of the economy." Huh? This is false, why even include it as an option?

Credit card companies have been able to prevent retailers from telling customers about the fees they pay; now they're able to pass that fee to customers as long as they disclose it. The fees aren't changing, they're just allowed to be passed through to the customer now. It has nothing to do with the economy and it's not a new fee.

why not a 2-4% discount when you pay cash instead?

Not all credit card companies allow merchants to pass along costs like this 4%. I found one article that addresses this, but it is a few years old: "...Every originator except for Discover forbids surcharging credit card sales, however, as MasterCard so clearly states, "A Merchant may provide a discount to its customers for cash payments." This statement holds the secret to passing credit card processing fees on to customers. The trick isn't charging customers more for using a credit card; it's charging them less for using cash....". The article goes into this in some depth, but, ultimately, it cost the consumer.

http://www.merchantcouncil.org/merchant-account/operation/pass-fee-customer.php

We cut back on our credit card use about five years ago. The best we ever did was a monthly bill for $45. Unfortunately we have been using our credit card to track medical costs, i.e. when picking up prescriptions.

This is yet another result of the political system being up for sale. Banks contribute heavily to all pols, then literally sit in on the writing of legislation meant to curb these abuses, It's not enough they gamble recklessly with "safe" money, then cry for a bailout when they lose it, they have incrementally placed the retailers over the barrel, hiking their "handling fees" and stretching out the access period for using their own funds. Most retailers now cannot access their weekend credit receipts until Tuesday, giving banks time to use the money and profit from the interest. and then they still charge their retail clients higher fees on top of that. The retailers are not the problem here, it is the banks who profit from near-zero borrowing rates and act as loan sharks afterwards. The real kicker is they are using part of this/your money to pay off the politicians to keep it this way. You can thank Messrs. Bernanke and "money is free speech" Scalia for this abomination.

This is very simple. Don't use a credit card. It's a free market, a free country. No one is forcing anyone to use credit cards. Don't use a credit card, and/or don't shop where these fees are apposed.

imposed***

4% is a ripoff as most credit card companies are in the 2-3% range with Amex at the high end of that.

If brick and mortar merchants impose this, they'll just drive more people to the internet, where credit cards are obligatory.

A big mistake. This will only speed up the demise of brick and mortar retail as we know it.

Use debit card, cash and Internet sites if your regular "bricks and mortar" stores charge the additional 4%. I understand that the charge has to be shown separately on your receipt according to a NYC news radio station. Don't know if they have to notify customers of the charge before accepting a credit card for payment. Return items for a full refund, to any "bricks and mortar" store that charges the 4% fee, and tell store management exactly why you are making the return and that you will shop at a competitor who does not charge the fee. It will be interesting to see if Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Kohls, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. impose the extra charge. Wonder if Amazon and other Internet merchants have the option as well?

why is it that NJ allowed this to happen to it's residents. It has been out lawed in NY and CT.

Retailers will lose out in the long run because people paying with cash will plan more accurately before shopping and will, by virtue of the cash on hand, eliminate much of the last minute spontaneous purchases. Banks are in bad shape and this will cause pain in that industry too. Many gas stations are set up for two levels of payment already and I often wonder how many “fill ups” are changed to ten dollars when people see the cash/credit sign. It took years for payment by card to become common place. The system has been set up for card purchases by plan and this will hit business negatively in the long run. As many have said; on line buying will really take over the retail world. Local merchants and big retainers better watch their step on this one. They have much to lose.

Here's the problem. Businesses, for decades now, have 'adjusted' their price model to incorporate credit card fees as part of conducting business. Prices will remain the same, and the consumer will find an extra 'fee' on their credit card receipt. This should be a boon for the businesses. It will be terrible for the consumer.

In regards to Amazon, they will begin to charge NJ state sales tax starting July 1, 2013. See NY Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/nyregion/amazon-to-build-distribution-centers-in-new-jersey.html

Okay, so many NJ consumers will now puff out their chests and declare that they'll just pay cash or not shop at merchants who pass along the fees. Yeah, right.

This is a safety and crime issue, too. More people will be forced to carry around large amounts of cash, making for easier, less traceable crime. Remember, with a credit card, you are not responsible for any fraud or theft that occurs with your card. With cash, you're responsible for every dollar. Credit cards also have many, many benefits ranging from percent cash-back, to extended warranties, to record keeping. They are essential tools in today's economy. Heck, I get nearly a thousand dollars cash back every year with my credit card's cash back bonus. I'd hate to give that up! And, yes, I pay my bill in full each month so there's never any interest or fees.

...continued from previous comment above...

What about big-ticket purchases? Next time you load up the cart at Costco, are you prepared to carry around $400 in cash? Are you going to remember to hit the ATM and get smacked with some fees there as well?

This only applies to credit cards, not debit cards. And I think, but can not yet confirm, that American Express and Discover are not involved in this practice. Only Visa and Master Card.

This is now a national law. 40 states are affected. Only ten states so far have banned retailers from passing along the charges. New Jersey has not, but New York has banned the fees.

Large retailers (think Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Target, etc.) have said they will not pass along the fees to consumers. This further puts the smaller businesses under pressure.

This is a win only for the banks.

Welcome to Screwedville. Population: us.

I just signed up with kuapay. It's a processing company. No setup fees. 2% for all cards yes including Amex and .23 cents each transaction. Customer downloads app n enters card n pays by scanning at checkout. I will call to see if this will be affected as well. Worth checking out.

How do we know which merchants do this and which do not.

Go back to using personal checks. When merchants see their checkout lines come to a halt with people digging in wallets for cash or writing out checks they may change their minds. E-commerce with Paypal is the way to go!

Remember it's your money - buy only where you are pleased. The others may have the pleasure of buying it from themselves *Smiles.

To HGs - comment I will just Add God bless the UPS.

A Lose - Lose proposition in my opinion.

I am skeptical about the validity of this news item. A 4% add-on is a big deal. Don't you think there would have been some discussion about such legislation in recent weeks via media other than the internet?

I read in NY it's illegal-- yet in NJ, it's fine. That says a lot. I agree with Patch showing listings of merchants who impose the fee. That way an informed consumer can make decision that works best for them.

Most of the other comments here seem right to me, too. It will drive more business to the web, and 4% seems a ripoff when Amex -highest cost provider - is less than that.

Yep, like others here, I also go a little out of my way to buy gas at stations that don't charge a 10 cent/ gallon credit card premium. And it isn't all that hard to find stations that don't charge that either- at least right now.

It really changed my buying habits to see that fee, especially when I was paying with a gas branded card- and buying that brand for years.

Used to be such cards gave you a small discount for buying the "affinity" brand... but now the discount only applies AFTER you spent $500 a month with the card. The car doesn't really use $500 a month in gas, and I prefer to use a sep card for gas (old fashioned, huh?-but easier for my record keeping )

Switched over to a "freedom" card which at least gives a discount on any brand gas certain months of year... provided you remember each cycle to sign up for the discount.

It's like they are making it ever more difficult to be a customer... and so (sadly) I'm not brand loyal anymore- silly to make loyalty cost more.

And these are the people that we elect to public office... another Rip-Off of your constituants.....shame on all of you.

It's the result of litigation against Visa and MasterCard and those two entities agreed to the max. 4% surcharge in response. No other credit cards (like AmEx, Discover) allow the surcharge and 10 states, including NY, banned it. It does not apply to debit cards. Most major retailers have stated they won't allow surcharge. Media could've done a better job making this clear, so people aren't so upset.

This is a detriment to the future of having a moneyless society. This goes against all our technological advances. This is just plain stupid. Now people will take out cash and buy things with cash. And criminals will know this so there will be an increase in muggings and robberies because retailers and shoppers will be carrying more cash.

This is a way to go back to the dark ages.

Also, internet sales will suffer significantly as well. It will no longer be worth buying stuff on the internet if you have to pay an additional 4% tax on each purchase.

And, it does not cost a computer program 4% of the number amount to transfer that amount from one account to another. It's just a series of zeros and ones moving along a wire. The electrons doing this do not charge a fee. It's a way for the banks to make more money and have big profits so they can build fancy bank buildings which they don't even need any more.

In order to advance technology, the fees should be outlawed completely instead of being transferred to the shopper. Or they should do like EZPass does, charge a monthly fee for the convenience of using the credit card. Thank is more justifiable than a fee on every transaction.

I understand that South Orange merchants are encouraging more customers to shop in the Town and therefore feel that the to charge an additional 4% for customers to use their credit cards, plus require them to to pay the Transit Authority Meters would do more to drive them away than invite them to shop in our lovely town.

Cash on the barrel solves the problem. Get off the instant gratification train for luxery items. Use cash to purchase the item and you don't have to worry about additional fees. Credit cards are a privelege not a right.

Many of us overspend when we use plasticanyway. I, like many, often run into the store for one item and come out with several bags offood.Thisjust might be the motivation needed to stick to a food budget, carry a specific amont of cash for needed items/products and not get carried away by sale prices. In my case these items are stored or go bad. If there exist a significant number of others in this category food stores sales might dip. We are considered to be a nation that wastes enough food to feed a small nation so a secondary benefit might be less waste.

Where is the Governor? Get back to work in NJ. Did I hear that both NY and CT knocked this down?

I have been charged up to 10% for paying an invoice by credit card here in Maplewood NJ. I didn't realize there was such a charge and when I questioned it I was told it was to cover the expense of credit card fees. Guess what I don't pay by credit card anymore - they get a check.

I am a small business owner and I do accept credit cards. I don't like taking cards as yes I get charged by the credit card company for accepting them, but it is the cost of doing business. Small or large companies know that you accept cards for the convenience of the customer and if you don't accept them you may lose business.
Also as a business owner I did not hear of this change until I turned on the news last evening. I for one do not intend charging an extra fee - I think this is the most ridiculous thing I have every heard... and if the people don't stand up against this it will just keep getting worse...
As a customer I will use my debit card or cash for any purchases and avoid doing business with companies that will charge this extra fee.

One question - Where is Gov. Christie?????

I am responding to a comment made by a small business owner in Maplewood (cannot find her comment) where she stated that although credit card companies charge large fees for small business companies to accept credit cards, the business does it to accommodate customers. On the other hand, I have noted that some small business in Maplewood will NOT accept personal checks, for whatever reason (I would prefer to pay by check), and will ONLY accept cash or credit cards.

Why should Gov CC get involved? Can't merchants recover the expense they pay for the convenience of letting us use credit cards? Should businesses subsidize convenience when the expense costs jobs and wages for the employees?

If you pay your taxes online now, doesn't your town charge a fee already? How is this different?

Visa/MC had a rule that you could not discriminate between their credit cards and any other form of payment like cash or check. The agreement was between 2 private entities doing business together, V/MC entities and the merchant. Now we have government in the middle inserting itself between the 2 willing parties making a business agreement for their mutual benefit under the guise of protecting the public interest. The net result is a new law that nobody wants, benefits no one and just creates more confusion at best. This is a prime example of and overreaching government regulators adding more laws to fix something that is not broken. The merchant benefits by taking the limits of cash in their pocket and allowing their customers to spend what they want and the card companies make money charging a fee to make the transaction possible. Why not just let businesses do business between one another and the government leave them alone to prosper or not as they see wish...

My my, all this blubbering over extra charges on your credit card. Where is the same outcry when your income taxes go up? At least on this you have options. Debit cards, on line payment vehicles like PayPal linked to your account. The list is endless. This is all a result of legislation that was meant to stick it to the credit card companies. Did it work? This is what you get when you look to government for your solutions.

Stop using credit cards, free yourself from the fee machine.........unless you live beyond your means, then your just doomed anyway.

Just another reason not to spend money in this god awful state. People are screaming: buy local, spend at the shore, blah, blah, blah. I won't buy at the shore, in small stores, or anywhere else in this state. I will use my debit card as often as I can, but for large purchases, I'll go out of state.

Wish I could sell my house and get the hell out of here. Jersey Sucks!

Inventive way for the state to curb shopping - unintended, I'm sure, but that is sooooo New Jersey! Anyone want to buy a small cape, nice neighborhood, so-so schools....?

So the cost of buying stuff in NJ is a sales tax of 7% and a credit card fee of 4%.

11% added to the cost. For what? Creating jobs? Helping the poor? Reducing our dependence on foreign oil? Lowering the debt?

Merchants who accept credit cards already pass on this fee by adding it to the cost of eac and every product they sell. This do this with every cost, rent, utilities, etc. I is a cost of doing business. So in summation, you people who pay cash are already paying for the customer behind you in line who is getting frequent flyer miles by using his or he cc. Do you think this is fair? I frequent many businesses that are cash or check only, that is their right. I own a retail store and some of my suppliers charge me a fee for using a cc. Why should other stores have to pay more for me to be able to use a cc. I think I would make more sense to present this as a cash discount instead of a cc fee. Perception is everything. In regard to those people who think shopping online is the best way to go, look at the studies on how a small business benefits a community in so many wys

Susan we get that. Are retailers who now charge the new fee going to offset it with the charges that we were already paying? Of course not. Customer costs went up. Profits to merchants goes up.

I agree, discount the people who pay cash. Now that same customer can save the NEW CC fee and the old CC fee if paying cash.

Dear Patch, I think it would appropriate and appreciated if you could post all "local" names of merchants that pass along this fee to the customer. This is such a surprise and I belive to most of us, it seems sneaky. Main stream media did not make much note of this let alone ask the consumers to weigh in.
I understand all the comments which discuss the need to use credit wisely, pay with cash, etc. But let's be honest, CC's are here to stay, they are a "SAFE" means when used properly, we don't have to carry cash, we have a means of going back on in-accurate charges, allows a means to track and segregate all spending, etc. One could argue debit cards to be the same but it's $ in / $ out and some need that 30 day cushion sometimes or the abililty to go over 30 days. I belive the retailers should have been the ones fighting back on this in the first place. The fees are high no matter who is paying, yes they have been around for ever and yes the cc companies are still making out on the deal, up-front fee, then interest on any amount not paid each month.
In reference to the stories of how some only use cash. Very proud of you and congrats on that amazing accomplishment. Now for the rest of us that may not have our homes paid for, have certain expenses that do not justify use of cash and maybe even need to lean a bit on our "good credit" to make it through some months, I say this is "BS" and the CC companies need to be responsible for making this fee realistic to all.

This is what happens when the government tries to tilt the table in one direction or another, you have unintended consequences that the politicians never seem to calculate into the equation. My opinion is that this type of government interference into private business agreements will only have negative influence on doing business in NJ.

This cannot be considered government interference since the federal court ‘removed’ a restriction on allowing merchants from passing on credit card fees to customers. Incidentally, this does not just affect NJ, as he headline implies, it’s a federal ruling and affects all states except the following ones that have specific laws against passing on these fees to consumers; California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

However, it is still optional, so you can simply avoid the businesses that add this fee. You can also use a debit card and not be affected at all.

Why the hysterics? If a shop accepts Amex, it already can't effectively impose the additional fee (use an Amex at that shop). Big retailers won't add it because it's cheaper for them to take CC than checks and CC users spend in the range of 15% more. A very few small shops might try and add it, likely to their detriment. If your dry cleaners of bagel store does add the fee, pay them in cash or use the guy across the street. Seems to be much ado about nothing.

Ahhhh.... yet another reason why I moved to the great State of Texas 6 years ago. Texas is one of the 10 who said N-O. We also do not have a State Income Tax!! Our sales tax is 6.25% and once a year we have a "Tax Free Weekend".

i will use the internet to buy things and miminize use of cards...and avoid merchants who charge that extra percentage, just as I do with purchasing gasoline. The only ones who make out on this are the banks...but 4% is way more than banks charge for the credit charge, so merchants are in effect getting up to 2% additional sales tax that they keep.

I would shop more at the stores that won't charge the fee. Either way start writing checks again and slow down the lines. I am not paying more because of the way I choose to pay for it.

Retailers are charged a fee(percent of sale) for the use of the Credit Card service. This cost is built into the cost of goods by the retailer. Thus the cash buyer is already paying for a service that is not received! This is why some retailers do not provide credit card purchases, so they can have competitive pricing. We cannot win on this!

What this comes down to is closely monitoring how and where we spend. The wife is notorious for impulse purchases on our day trips out. Yes, the money is there for her to spend, but I'll be damned if I'm going to walk into a "shop", let her pay the exorbitant prices, and then get slammed again because I pay with a credit card. I am being penalized for not carrying cash, paying with a debit card, which I seldom do, or by check. The shop owner wants you to pay cash so they don't have to report it, and they don't care if you use a credit card because you will pay the fee. For sale: 3 br/2 bath colonial; horrible schools; exorbitant taxes; continually depreciating home value. The Jersey dream.

I am of the age where I no longer use credit cards for items I can't afford. I use it when booking hotels, rental cars, flights, etc. where it becomes a necessity, but what is wrong with paying cash, writing a check or using a debit card? Using a debit card carries most of the safety features of a credit card, but it is using funds you have, not funds you are borrowing, to make a purchase.

XJS - fine, I understand that and agree with you, but if the increased card usage charges out weigh the cash-back rewards & perks, its just a matter of simple mathematics. Unfortunately, most people tend to use credit cards for all the wrong reasons which often results in costing them dearly or getting them into excessive debt. I have no issue with using a credit card for all the right reasons - but there's a need for caution, because banks/credit card companies stack the deck in their favor.

Relax. This story from the Patch seems to be causing much more anxiety than is necessary. Read the following information for a better perspective. Most stores won't be stupid to charge 4%. This would only hurt their business. http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2013/01/28/credit-card-users-brace-for-possible-checkout-fee/

1. Merchants and service providers prefer cash so they can underreport sales. If this ends up pushing more cash purchases you can bet the states that are allowing the add-on fees will change their tunes. The credit card companies will gladly help with data analysis.

2. My bottom line is to patronize businesses that sell what I want, that charge reasonable prices, that accept the payment I prefer and to purchase locally when possible. Purchases are situational.

I agree with Mark Paulson (immediately above) that a chill pill is in order. Wait to see how this plays out.

I just wanted to quickly address the comments made about Amazon charging NJ customers sales tax beginning in July of 2013. This wasn't a decision made by Amazon. The truth is that they had no choice in the matter. The way they get around charging sales tax in certain states is that they claim to have no presence in that state. With the physical presence of a new warehouse, any argument that they are not here, have no connection to the state, and therefore don't have to charge tax disappears.

LET THE FEES BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nero! As American Burns In Debt.

The DEMS are in charge of banking now (and credit). The future holds, increased fees, charges, service charges, franchise fees, user fees, convenience fees, excise fess, costs, add on, and whatever other words this corporation called Government will use but they don't want to raise taxes because of votes. Nor do they want to pass a budget as you go to Yale (jail) because it is illegal to overspend you budget.

When I find a store that charges a 4% credit card fee I will make sure I load my shopping basket to the rim with items until things are falling out of the cart. I will then bring all my items to the cash register and get rung-up. After getting my total I'll get my credit card out and play dumb about the 4% fee and then tell the cashier that I would no longer like to purchase the items because of the 4% fee and walk out without making a purchase.

Then the store manager could override the transaction and pay an employee to put all the merchandise in the shopping cart back, hopefully eating away at the 4% fee that other customers had paid.