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Pro tip: Paid $3.50 in 'convenience fees' for a $10 coffee last week | Cashless Society Debate - Free To Speak

Pro tip: Paid $3.50 in 'convenience fees' for a $10 coffee last week

I was at a little cafe in Portland and they only took cards or phone payments... no cash at all. My latte came to $6.50 but then there was a $0.50 'processing fee' tacked on plus a $3.00 tip prompt that auto-suggested. I realized after that a cash purchase would've saved me almost 35% on the same thing. Has anyone else noticed these hidden fees piling up with digital payments?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin4691mo ago

Yeah the "$3.00 tip prompt auto-suggested" part hits home. I always check the keypad now before I tap my card because those default amounts are set to trick you. What I do is bring cash specifically for coffee and small food spots. If they don't take cash, I ask if there's a discount for using a debit card instead of credit. Most places drop the processing fee if you use debit because it costs them way less. The real scam is when they show you 15%, 20%, 25% as the options and you feel pressured. Just hit "custom tip" and put in zero or a dollar. They won't say anything to your face.

caseythompson1mo ago

Haha the "custom tip" thing gets me every time. I always feel like I'm doing something illegal when I press that button and type in zero. Like the cashier is gonna look at me and say "really, dude?" One time I hit custom tip by accident and it defaulted to $0.02 because my fingers were shaking and I just left it there. The poor barista probably thought I was trying to be a comedian. Cash really is the secret weapon though. I started bringing a $5 bill for my morning coffee and suddenly I'm not sweating over a screen trying to figure out if 18% on a $4 latte is socially acceptable.