It was ok to offer a discount for cash, but it was not ok to have a surcharge for credit cards - and now it becomes ok to have such a surcharge.
Yes, these things are mathematically equivalent. And yet, that's what the law said.
Yes, these things are mathematically equivalent. And yet, that's what the law said.
It wasn't the law[1] but rather a contractual restriction on surchages. This settlement with VISA and MasterCard removes that restriction. It doesn't apply to other companies like American Express.
[1] Some states did and still do prohibit credit card surchages.
My wife is a government lawyer, and I sometimes reflect that our jobs both ultimately involve writing words that do stuff.