The Amazon & Visa fallout

[Sterlo]

Doing my best numbnuts impression, I don't have a credit card

 

[C R]

I wonder what the effect for amazon would be if people started buying amazon cards at the supermarket to pay for purchases instead of switching cc provider. It would be interesting to know the cost to amazon of taking payment from a gift card compared to from a visa CC.

 

[oldwheels]

Neither Amazon or Visa are saying what the fees are, but i read it's 0.1% per transaction which doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

The fee depends on turnover and if you have a large turnover it is negotiable. 0.1% of a large amount of money passing through Amazon hands is still a lot of money.

 

[oldwheels]

In the past six months my Mastercard Credit Card has been changed to a Visa Credit Card and my Visa Debit Card changed to a Mastercard Debit Card!

Still pay for virtually everything with my AMEX.

Both my bank accounts changed from visa to mastercard some time ago.

 

[Pale Rider]

Both my bank accounts changed from visa to mastercard some time ago.

This changing of bank accounts is news to me.

I'm with Barclays who I've always associated with Visa, going back to the days of the original Barclaycard credit card.

My two credit cards are deliberately Mastercard and Visa to enable me to pay via either company.

Not that I've ever had a problem, so the Visa card is currently dormant.

 

[ianrauk]

This changing of bank accounts is news to me.

I'm with Barclays who I've always associated with Visa, going back to the days of the original Barclaycard credit card.

My two credit cards are deliberately Mastercard and Visa to enable me to pay via either company.

Not that I've ever had a problem, so the Visa card is currently dormant.

As mentioned elsewhere. My bank First Direct recently changed my card from Visa to Mastercard.
Not that it really bothers me as I try to mainly use Amex to rack up the air miles, or Paypal, which is linked to the Amex.

 

[Biking mum]

Considering the extortionate fees amazon charges its sellers I find Amazon's approach laughable.

 

[Pale Rider]

I try to mainly use Amex to rack up the air miles,

I had an Amex charge card when I was living in London.

Trouble was very few places accepted it, so my Barclaycard was much more useful.

Amex wasn't as bad as Diners Club, which was even harder to use.

 

[Blue Hills]

I had an Amex charge card when I was living in London.

Trouble was very few places accepted it, so my Barclaycard was much more useful.

Amex wasn't as bad as Diners Club, which was even harder to use.

You fell for those ads about the card effortlessly signalling that you were part of the jet-setting Camberwell elite?
Must admit I was always amused by the limited use of those things.
But I am probably a very bad person.

 

[Pale Rider]

You fell for those ads about the card effortlessly signalling that you were part of the jet-setting Camberwell elite?

Spot on, it was in the days of gold and platinum cards, and general payment card snobbery.

Not that I could ever compete with a well turned out lady who was paying for her groceries in a supermarket in Chiswick.

She used a Grindlay's Bank cheque, and I noticed her name on the cheque was also Grindlay, meaning she was almost certainly a member of the banking family.

 

[Blue Hills]

Spot on, it was in the days of gold and platinum cards, and general payment card snobbery.

f

The horrors of the London 80s?
I trust that at least you didn't have a blond perm?

 

[ianrauk]

I had an Amex charge card when I was living in London.

Trouble was very few places accepted it, so my Barclaycard was much more useful.

Amex wasn't as bad as Diners Club, which was even harder to use.

It's not too bad these days with outlets taking them. The odd indie store not so much. The Cafe we own here in our building takes Amex and its surprising at how many people do use it. The fees really aren't that much different to other cards.
Gregs is a complete pain for not taking Amex though

 

[byegad]

If it goes ahead, I think they will both be losers, too much lost revenues for both parties. Got the email today too and shall wait for the time being.

Yes. The best/worst credit card I ever got was an Amex. Nobody wanted to take it, 'costs too much to process, guv' so the balance I transferred to it, on getting the card, reduced to nothing very quickly!

 

[yello]

Considering the extortionate fees amazon charges its sellers I find Amazon's approach laughable.

You're right of course. Amazon are frekkin' tyrants towards their vendors. I know a couple of people who sell stuff through them and have heard the complaints.

That said, Amazon are one helluva platform to be selling on and your marketplace exposure is astronomical compared to what you could do yourself. And there's the other selling services they provide too, at a cost of course.

You're between a rock and a hard place in some respects. Amazon know what they offer, what they do for the vendor, and by crikey they milk you for it. Got you by the short and curlies even.

 

[Pale Rider]

It's not too bad these days with outlets taking them. The odd indie store not so much. The Cafe we own here in our building takes Amex and its surprising at how many people do use it. The fees really aren't that much different to other cards.
Gregs is a complete pain for not taking Amex though

When I had an Amex it was a charge card only - you had to pay it off in full every month.

I believe they now offer a traditional credit card.

The old, possibly urban myth, with Amex was it had no limit.

I suspect there was one, they just didn't tell the customer what it was.