I’m sick of cabbies giving me the stink eye when I try to pay with Visa. Aren’t they required to take credit?
Credit cards are indeed the kryptonite of the cab world, but not without reason. Most cab companies charge employees a processing fee of about five per cent for each credit transaction, which explains why people who hop into a cab without cash are often met with either a look of disgust (as though you offered to pay for the ride with rancid cheese) or a dubious claim that the machine is broken. There’s no city bylaw requiring drivers to accept credit. Instead, policies fall to individual companies. Beck Taxi, Toronto’s largest fleet, requires all drivers to carry a manual credit card processor, in case the famously faulty electronic machines break down. What this means is that if a driver with a broken machine picks you up, lying or not, he should still be able to take your card. If you’re riding Beck (and have the guts to take on a crabby cabbie), you can inform your driver that you are aware of the policy. Dollars to doughnuts, the machine will suddenly start working.
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You’ve just told me why coming home very late at night sometime last year my amex card with a massive limit (& very tiny balance) was declined. I kept asking him “are you sure?” he ran it through his machine three times before I gave up.
It was pretty embarrassing having to wake my husband up to get cash to pay the cabbie.
I chalked it up to the cabbie being stupid, I just assumed he wasn’t clever enough to figure out how to charge my card.
Now I know…& I will fight next time!
Just thought I should add that IF you pay with credit card, try to keep in mind that transaction fee that the cabbie will be charged, and tip accordingly. I always try to give a little extra, because I don’t mind it for the convenience of being able to use my card.
This is also true for servers at some restaurants in Toronto. Many high-end restaurants charge their employees the credit card fee for all credit transactions. Employees are not given an option to refuse credit cards.
Tough s**t. I’m paying 50.00+ to get from Pearson to the east end, and it’s not bloody likely I’m going to be carrying cash before flying our to USA or Europe for business. Just this week, I’ve arranged for a limo company to take care of this. Credit cards? why yes, sir, no problem at all. B’bye taxi.
Angie,
Did you forget it is now $4 bucks just to sit. What a joke. I consider it the cost of doing business. i always tip well but these cabbies are getting out of hand. I find most of them rude anyway.
… it seems to me that we should be complaining to the cab companies about this – they shouldn’t be passing along their fees to the lowest rung on the ladder, the underpaid drivers.
I don’t want to have to pay an extra tip to compensate them for the 5%, nor do I believe they should pay it themselves.
The cab companies should be accepting it as a cost of doing business (albeit a questionable practice on the part of the banks to charge a fee to the establishment when they make so much from interest payments already, but that’s not what this is about)
As for restaurants charging their servers the cc fee: Really!? I’ve never heard of this before. Melissa, please provide establishment names, so that we people can follow up with the restaurants!
I got hit with a 2 dollar ‘surcharge’ for the luxury of using my credit card by BECK
I dont give a rats rear. They charge a rediculous seating fee and most of them give attitude. Poor service – lesser tip.
Also, I have worked at several restaurants and have never been charged such fee.