AMEX not accepted or surcharge

[ozstamps]

In the past, most higher priced electrical items I have bought, I use Amex for, as one gets an extra year warranty.

That has often been a lifesaver when goods suffered faults at 20 months etc.

About to pay for a new laptop for about $2200 off my computer techie

He does take paypal but will add about $50 for that, if I choose not to pay by cheque etc.

My PayPal payments come out of my Amex card.

My question is, will Amex honour the extra year warranty if the merchant receipt exists for new laptop? I can't imagine Amex care if bought off him, or if I bought it from Harvey Norman on Amex. As long as it ends up as an Amex charge for $2200.

I can't imagine why NOT, and $50 is pretty cheap insurance really, (and I get 2200 Amex points of course, that are worth near $50 to me) as I use my laptop 15 hours a day, so it gets a pretty heavy workout.

Glen

 

[andye]

In the past, most higher priced electrical items I have bought, I use Amex for, as one gets an extra year warranty.

That has often been a lifesaver when goods suffered faults at 20 months etc.

About to pay for a new laptop for about $2200 off my computer techie

He does take paypal but will add about $50 for that, if I choose not to pay by cheque etc.

My PayPal payments come out of my Amex card.

My question is, will Amex honour the extra year warranty if the merchant receipt exists for new laptop? I can't imagine Amex care if bought off him, or if I bought it from Harvey Norman on Amex. As long as it ends up as an Amex charge for $2200.

I can't imagine why NOT, and $50 is pretty cheap insurance really, (and I get 2200 Amex points of course, that are worth near $50 to me) as I use my laptop 15 hours a day, so it gets a pretty heavy workout.

Glen

This has come up before and I'm pretty sure the consensus was that it is ok. Have a search but no harm in calling Amex

 

[yohy?!]

Update to Hey You - registering your amex via visa checkout avoids any surcharge

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Another incident today where I walked out of the store at the POS after being advised they did not accept AMEX.
Was NightOwl store in BNE CBD. Despite having both Visa/MC and cash available to complete the transaction, I walked out and bought from the 7-eleven down the road at a lower cost!

 

[N860CR]

Just reading the ACCC page on CC surcharges. Apparently 3% is an acceptable upper limit amount for AMEX.

https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/prices-surcharges-receipts/credit-debit-prepaid-card-surcharges

The ACCC is however doing nothing about it. I've raised a few concerns with them (TPG, Rex) however receive only a template response stating that they don't investigate individual concerns and they can't specific what reasonable charges are.

The whole new regulations are a joke.

 

[Moopere]

The ACCC is however doing nothing about it. I've raised a few concerns with them (TPG, Rex) however receive only a template response stating that they don't investigate individual concerns and they can't specific what reasonable charges are.

The whole new regulations are a joke.

Yes. I always thought there would be problems relating to policing. I think I posted earlier that in my view they will try to rely upon 'market forces' for most compliance and will possibly only really pay attention to the big guns of retail. So, big retail chains, airlines, hotels, all the biggies might (might!) get some attention ... possibly ... or at least the threat will be real and present to the larger entities and the consumer will be expected, I assume, to make their purchases with due diligence.

The reason for the preference for cash with smaller firms is well established, but it confuses me a bit they almost all will accept VISA/MC without extra charge ... given the prevalence of super-max VISA/MC's this can't be a cost saver surely?

Interestingly I bumped into a web article recently where the RBA are reporting substantial increases in the need to print paper money for the last 2 years - previous to this there has been a long slow decline due to the increasing prevalence of EFT (direct or card use). They are already positively identifying this as as what they assume to be a relatively small scale and short term return to a cash economy, not staggering numbers mind, so no-one is really worried ... yet ... but the indicators are there.

 

[prozac]

To do with recent immigration trends and taxation.

 

[whatmeworry]

To do with recent immigration trends and taxation.

Well border force did do a raid on some farms outside Melbourne netting a couple dozen fake refugees working illegally. $400k of cash was also found.

 

[Plutonus]

Appears as though Menulog has switched to using Stripe for payments, and no longer classifies as a restaurant to receive 3x points.

 

[Archphoto]

My local JB HiFi charges 2.9% for an Amex charge; still trying to figure out why they can't just build it into the price of every item on the shelf in every store they own.

Guess they prefer to alienate their customers rather than pass it on by a minuscule amount (and make some profit on the items with the markup that get charged to anything other than Amex.

Or am I looking at it waaaay too simplistically?

 

[Dr Ralph]

My local JB HiFi charges 2.9% for an Amex charge; still trying to figure out why they can't just build it into the price of every item on the shelf in every store they own.

Guess they prefer to alienate their customers rather than pass it on by a minuscule amount (and make some profit on the items with the markup that get charged to anything other than Amex.

Or am I looking at it waaaay too simplistically?

Buy pre-paid gift cards/eftpos cards to get around this at JB and others like it who have an aversion to AMEX.

 

[whatmeworry]

My local JB HiFi charges 2.9% for an Amex charge; still trying to figure out why they can't just build it into the price of every item on the shelf in every store they own.

Guess they prefer to alienate their customers rather than pass it on by a minuscule amount (and make some profit on the items with the markup that get charged to anything other than Amex.

Or am I looking at it waaaay too simplistically?

Just buy GC from Coles/WW.

 

[fairbasa]

My local JB HiFi charges 2.9% for an Amex charge; still trying to figure out why they can't just build it into the price of every item on the shelf in every store they own.

Guess they prefer to alienate their customers rather than pass it on by a minuscule amount (and make some profit on the items with the markup that get charged to anything other than Amex.

Or am I looking at it waaaay too simplistically?

I guess they would say "why should we charge everyone for costs that only a small percentage of customers incur purely for their own benefit?".

Don't get me wrong, I love my AMEX as much as the next person...and I do find charging surcharges being penny-wise pound-foolish on the part of the merchant. However, it is also artificially inflating the cost of goods to the detriment of everyone paying cash and Visa/MC.

 

[andye]

My JB hifi has a sign saying they will ask for ID with multiple GCs so clearly a common strategy

I ended up justifying using Amex for the insurance/warranties (WW is a bit of a trek too and I was against clock).
On reflection I woild have saved 5% more if i had used a Wish to buy GCs so did end up being quite pricey

 

[WeeWillyWonka]

My JB hifi has a sign saying they will ask for ID with multiple GCs so clearly a common strategy

I ended up justifying using Amex for the insurance/warranties (WW is a bit of a trek too and I was against clock).
On reflection I woild have saved 5% more if i had used a Wish to buy GCs so did end up being quite pricey

Another option to avoid the JB Hifi surcharge is (and this only works if you know the item you want is available online) to purchase it through the JB Hifi website, checkout using Paypal and use your AMEX card to pay (without the surcharge).

 

[whatmeworry]

IIRC on the website the e gc is limited to $500 and you can only use a max of 5.

 

[Archphoto]

I guess they would say "why should we charge everyone for costs that only a small percentage of customers incur purely for their own benefit?".

Don't get me wrong, I love my AMEX as much as the next person...and I do find charging surcharges being penny-wise pound-foolish on the part of the merchant. However, it is also artificially inflating the cost of goods to the detriment of everyone paying cash and Visa/MC.

I hear you, but wouldn't a business just see this as yet another expense, and price their goods accordingly? As there are many that don't charge the Amex surcharge, it is obviously something they just build into their prices and everyone pays it or perhaps simply absorb and claim it as an expense on their tax return.

Fully appreciate the gift card scenario - though not much help if it is a spur-of-the-moment purchase, which it is 99.9% of the time for me. Plus they expire, which is in itself a real PITA too.

I just discovered a downside of online purchases prior to the instore visit: they don't allow a mix of Giftcards and CC payments - I actually had a one given to me to purchase a Christmas gift for a family member. Only thing is it was $5.00 short and you couldn't pay the balance with *any* CC, so it dashed the option of dodging the surcharge too.

Ended up paying with a Vias card but it did leave a nasty taste in the mouth, considering they had enough cash to take over The Good Guys earlier this month . . .

 

[whatmeworry]

JB GC last 2 years. To avoid expiry, you can buy a gc with another gc extending the gc another 2 years.

JB online allows a mix of gc and paypal online.

 

[ajd]

My JB hifi has a sign saying they will ask for ID with multiple GCs so clearly a common strategy

I suspect that's less to do with Amex-surcharge-evading and more to do with outright GC fraud.

 

[Jurahn]

My JB hifi has a sign saying they will ask for ID with multiple GCs so clearly a common strategy

I suspect that's less to do with Amex-surcharge-evading and more to do with outright GC fraud.

The two JB Hifi stores I usually go to have similar signs which mention they've had numerous instances of fraud involving GCs.