Will a Pool Builder Take a Credit Card for a all or a Portion of the Build?

[beaverretriever]

My wife and I use our credit cards for everything since we get cash incentives, airline points, etc. We currently have ZERO debt on them as we pay them off every month but using them for all the stuff we buy really has some huge positives in terms of monetary perks.

We are building a new home and want to add a pool before the end of this year and was wondering if any pool builders would take a card for the whole thing or a portion. It is going to be a very small modern pool that should be well under 40k and we would love to put that on our card so we get all the benefits our card offers.

 

[hallett21]

Expect a 3-5% up charge


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[beaverretriever]

Expect a 3-5% up charge


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My wife is the guru in terms of what perks we get on our card, so I guess she would have to weigh out if there would be a benefit to us to do it. I figured that would be the case. I am sure when we get closer to the purchase we will learn more.

 

[hallett21]

My wife is the guru in terms of what perks we get on our card, so I guess she would have to weigh out if there would be a benefit to us to do it. I figured that would be the case. I am sure when we get closer to the purchase we will learn more.

Conversely if they don’t up charge you for using a CC I would ask if there is a $100 bills discount.


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[Ziggy]

Used our CC points to fly to Bali, Australia and back home. Otherwise it'd not be an affordable trip.

 

[BasilHayden]

We wont take cards for system purchases for a few reasons, 1st already mentioned is the fees. By taking your card we are paying 2-3% (closer to 3) just to get your money. Bigger yet is the fact that if an unscrupulous customer wants, they can cause all types of issues by charging back and the card processor immediately claws back the funds and forces us to jump through hoops to get it back. This can happen even a year later.

My personal opinion is that major purchases like home improvement projects are not meant for credit cards. Good luck with your search but look to pay the 3% fee at a minimum or worse yet find an unscrupulous contractor to take it for a subpar job. My .02

 

[Orange Juice]

I purchased all my kitchen cabinets and countertop with a credit card. Installation was cash.

paid it off when payment due.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

cash would be best, i think we were close to $15,000 off quoted price when we offered cash

 

[beaverretriever]

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[endobear]

A buddy of mine that used to be in the CC business once told me it was illegal to charge extra to use a credit card.
He told me to charge/estimate what I wanted to cover using a credit card and offer a cash discount. Don't know if its 100% true, never looked into it.

 

[DLC]

A buddy of mine that used to be in the CC business once told me it was illegal to charge extra to use a credit card.
He told me to charge/estimate what I wanted to cover using a credit card and offer a cash discount. Don't know if its 100% true, never looked into it.

Someone needs to let the gas stations know about this! They usually have a cash and credit price

 

[Deckin Around]

You can offer a cash disc

Someone needs to let the gas stations know about this! They usually have a cash and credit price

You can offer a cash discount from your bid price but not a credit card surcharge.

I line item the bid:
Total Bid price: $xxxxx, credit cards accepted.
Cash Price discount $xxxxx

 

[hallett21]

Did a little digging. Federally it is legal to charge for the use of a credit card.

Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma & Texas say it is illegal to surcharge for CC usage.


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[The Prisoner]

I never go to am/pm but had to last week for time constraints. They charge .35 cents to use your debit card.

 

[Mandelon]

I believe there is no law against charging extra to let customer use a credit card, but I think it is against the policy of the credit card company.

Our quotes usually have both prices.

 

[SoCalDave]

I never go to am/pm but had to last week for time constraints. They charge .35 cents to use your debit card.

Yeah but that .35 you'll save in fuel cost as they are almost always .08-.10per gallon cheaper than any other establishment.

 

[LuauLounge]

Somebody is paying for the CC perks and it's not the CC company.

 

[ChumpChange]

Expect a 3-5% up charge


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Yup. Somebody has to pay for those perks.

 

[was thatguy]

I never go to am/pm but had to last week for time constraints. They charge .35 cents to use your debit card.

DO NOT use your debit card at a gas pump! EVER!!

 

[Hypnautic]

Ask the builder if you can buy all of the supplies on your CC. Pool pumps, filters, PVC etc. and all other payments to him will be cash.

 

[Melloyellovector]

Cant you just request checks for that credit card? No chance for charge backs on builders side. And I believe you still get your perks.

We don’t take credit cards. Fees to high. Plus the size of payments we normally get they can hold funds beyond X amount for X amount of time. No thanks

What city state? Check w the larger builders that have retail stores also.

 

[bluebleeder]

The cash discount method is correct. Cash price and credit price. The credit price cannot be over 4% more than the cash price and cannot exceed the merchants cost of the transaction. There are plenty of states that allow surcharging as well. An additional fee or percentage added to the total. The receipt must have the surcharge clearly marked (same % and flat fee rules apply like cash discount) and the merchant has to advise of the surcharge prior to charging the card. The merchant also must register with MasterCard and Visa to apply a surcharge. BTW the rewards card is going to cost the merchant more as the interchange rate downgrades. If a merchant does not follow the rules set forth by the card associations, they risk significant fines. Card associations do not like encouraging cash transactions and really crack down on violators.

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[DrunkenSailor]

Ask the builder if you can buy all of the supplies on your CC. Pool pumps, filters, PVC etc. and all other payments to him will be cash.

This is what I would do. Buy the heater, filter, pump, pvc, copper, lights, etc... using the cc. Pay the builder in cash.

 

[CoolCruzin]

I can’t see why the builder would not take credit card charge
50k pool plus 3%
Would earn some cash back or points on the card
Must be nice to have a card with a high limit like that

 

[Orange Juice]

A buddy of mine that used to be in the CC business once told me it was illegal to charge extra to use a credit card.
He told me to charge/estimate what I wanted to cover using a credit card and offer a cash discount. Don't know if its 100% true, never looked into it.

But it’s ok to discount for cash. Always a loop hole.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Cant you just request checks for that credit card? No chance for charge backs on builders side. And I believe you still get your perks.

We don’t take credit cards. Fees to high. Plus the size of payments we normally get they can hold funds beyond X amount for X amount of time. No thanks

What city state? Check w the larger builders that have retail stores also.

Do this @beaverretriever

Write yourself a check using the CC. Pay the pool guy cash.

There will again be a small fee or % you have to pay the CC for the check.

 

[hallett21]

Do this @beaverretriever

Write yourself a check using the CC. Pay the pool guy cash.

There will again be a small fee or % you have to pay the CC for the check.

Do they look at that as a cash advance?


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[beaverretriever]

Do this @beaverretriever

Write yourself a check using the CC. Pay the pool guy cash.

There will again be a small fee or % you have to pay the CC for the check.

Yeah, we will weigh out the options. It is a ways out as the house isn't done until June and we may not get the pool in until next year. However, if I think we can get it done soon after we get the home done we will move forward. We would just put it on a check or CC then pay it off the following month.

 

[Tireman]

Somebody is paying for the CC perks and it's not the CC company.

the merchants pay those perks!!!

 

[charlyox]

My pool builder wouldn’t even take an ATM card because of the fees. We ended up paying them with cashiers checks.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Do they look at that as a cash advance?


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Depends on the card..