Why do they even post locations that are out of business? If they post it and don't know it is out of business, then that is information that must be of some value and they have the nerve to not pay for the data.

@luckygirl0100 I've seen the same thing where they repost the out of business location again. That is so wrong.

Stupid question. I am looking at one that says $10 and then inside the guidelines it says up to $10 reimbursement.

So is that a $10 shop fee PLUS up to a $10 reimbursement or just up to the $10 reimbursement?

It's at a convenience store/gas station so the $10 reimbursement should be easy.

It’s $10 for the shop fee plus up to $10 reimbursement for using your debit card if the business charges a fee to pay with your debit card or has a minimum purchase amount that you need to stay under to show the fee that is charged for going under the minimum.

They lowered the reimbursement from $12 to $10 this round. The one thing that I find confusing is if the business offers a discount for paying cash but if you pay with your card it’s the same price listed for the item but if you pay cash then you get the discount. That is a fee to use the card in this case.

It’s $10 for the shop fee plus up to $10 reimbursement for using your debit card if the business charges a fee to pay with your debit card or has a minimum purchase amount that you need to stay under to show the fee that is charged for going under the minimum.

They lowered the reimbursement from $12 to $10 this round. The one thing that I find confusing is if the business offers a discount for paying cash but if you pay with your card it’s the same price listed for the item but if you pay cash then you get the discount. That is a fee to use the card in this case.

Thanks, nimbusrogue.

I know this store doesn't charge a fee since I regularly shop it for another MSC. I'm now debating if it's worth stopping at and taking a picture of the inside for $10. I'll be driving right by it but would feel kind of strange bringing a couple of sodas to the register and then just leaving them there and having to go back to the car "to get my wallet".

If it's still there when I can get $5 plus $10 reimbursement with the other MSC shop after the first of the month, that would be a bonus. Strange I don't see the other locations of this 10 local gas station chain listed in Presto. But none of them charge the fee.

But then would it be fair to buy $5 at the pump and $5 in the store and just not submitting the receipts on Presto? Not sure how I could be caught since I believe this debit card shop seems to be done for the card issuer/processor and the other is for the owner of the gas stations.

If there is no fee and you already know there is no fee then just do the photos and leave. You don’t need to talk to anyone or look interested in buying something. If you do others for this project, it has to be one purchase inside at the register if they charge a fee or have a minimum purchase requirement under $10. If it was a gas station and they had a fee then you could pay inside for the gas sure.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2023 08:22AM by nimbusrogue.

There are just a few left in my area now. One place is a store where they have an artificial ski machine and you can practice skiing on it off season. It is by appt only so it sounds as if I would not even be able to get inside. The other sounds like it is someone's house. It is not even worth it to drive over and get out for a pic and then not even get paid. Even with getting $10 it is not worth it in the traffic here. I have done these visa shops for several years and have never seen a fee at any place I have gone but in pre pandemic times I was able to buy something so that made it worth it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2023 04:55PM by sandyf.

A handful of these popped up again in my area, now they say that if the location is closed or an unshoppable business you would get a $1 look up fee. LOL yeah no thanks. It doesn't clearly state the reimbursement amounts either, which is disappointing. I always get a little annoyed when we're expected to strictly follow guidelines and give a clear report back, but the companies can't even clearly state what the reimbursement amounts are.

Well I attempted to do the shop yesterday. I swear the address on the job board was 603. I remember because I Googled it to see what was at that address. It was a gas station/convenience store.

EDITED TO ADD: Apparently if I had scrolled down when looking at the shop, it gives who you are evaluating. I didn't scroll down because I was looking for the guidelines which are requested from the top of the screen.

When I accepted the shop, the address was 620 which was an ice cream stand closed for the season.

When I submitted the shop, the name of a restaurant showed up. The address for that restaurant was 236 according to Google.

No wonder this shop was still on the job board. I don't think I'll get paid as I shopped the first address which was a convenience shop. Not a problem since I only spent 5 minutes and I was driving right by it.

However, how would you do this shop at a restaurant which is a grill? I guess order a soda to go? But then how do you leave that on the counter if it's a fountain drink and they say there is no fee for debit cards?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2023 06:49PM by wrosie.

Yeah there is not specific requirement to look up the information to make sure the business is open before you go there. For me I’ll took several of them because I was already in the area. If I showed up and the business was “unshoppable” I took photos and turned it in for half pay.

There is at least one on the board that I did before. I wonder why they put it back up since I was paid. They will have to bonus it BIG time for me to go back. I drove by it today when I was going to another shop.

I was going to mention this in a Year in Review post what was the most bizarre thing that happened on a shop. I opened the door to the establishment and there is a bouncer that says I gotta pat you down. I thought he was joking, so I asked him for what and he says weapons. Let's just say that he was thorough and the pat down was intrusive. I was thinking to myself, there is no shop worth this, but I wasn't going to leave at point. I am the only person there with my "shade," no big deal and it wasn't like the music stopped, but it was odd.

The ones in my area seem to be bars that do not offer food. Those seem beyond awkward if you walk in to say hey is there a minimum/surcharge to use a card. Let's say that there is a minimum of $10, the max reimbursement, are you supposed to buy several Shirley Temples so you can use the card and get paid for the shop or is it okay to tell the barkeep line me up some shots of tequila - encouraging drinking and driving?

Taking pictures in bars is very difficult since it is usually dimly lit. The picture is not going to be sharp and will provide easy grounds for them to deny your shop.

Very odd situation for sure for you. Most of the locations here have been nail salons, smoke shops, vape lounges (I don’t smoke and it’s weird to go in those and be asked what I’m looking for), sushi and Thai food restaurants and some juice bars. The most awkward of those are the nail salons. They most all charge a fee so I’m stuck buying a $10 gift certificate I’ll most likely never use. The awkward part is taking the interior photos without being noticed. I’m watched like a hawk while I pretend to at their price menus and awkwardly do my best to get a photo of their fee signage.

I did one of these and it was a small stationary store but the rest are nail salons, hair salons, vape shops, little tiny stores where you just can't walk in and be unnoticed. Too uncomfortable. I feel like I need an accomplice for these! Hard pass for me.

So many nail salons! From my very limited experience, nail places have some very unfriendly and suspicious employees/ owners.

@sestrahelena wrote:

So many nail salons! From my very limited experience, nail places have some very unfriendly and suspicious employees/ owners.

I can't even count the number of nail places I've been to. I have never been treated in an unfriendly or not welcoming way. I actually prefer the places where English is a second (or sometimes not at all) language. Typically the massage with my pedicure is better there.

For these shops I just ask about a service saying my daughter has a dance coming up & will be coming in.

When you make a purchase for these shops, does the receipt need to clearly show the fee or surcharge? I thought I remember reading that in the guidelines at some point. That gave me pause because I wondered if the surcharge would show on the receipt. And I didn't want to risk making a purchase and not getting the reimbursement.

@Snuffycuts99 wrote:

When you make a purchase for these shops, does the receipt need to clearly show the fee or surcharge? I thought I remember reading that in the guidelines at some point. That gave me pause because I wondered if the surcharge would show on the receipt. And I didn't want to risk making a purchase and not getting the reimbursement.

In order to charge you the fee it have to show up in some way on the receipt.

My Mom bought food at a local specialty market for Christmas and asked me what the $6 fee on her receipt was. I'm guessing most people don't even look at their receipts and notice they've been charged.

@Snuffycuts99 wrote:

When you make a purchase for these shops, does the receipt need to clearly show the fee or surcharge? I thought I remember reading that in the guidelines at some point. That gave me pause because I wondered if the surcharge would show on the receipt. And I didn't want to risk making a purchase and not getting the reimbursement.

No, I've had locations just print a receipt with the total. The signage stating the fee is the only proof required. I did have one reimbursement denied when the employee verbally stated there was a cash discount but no signage about it. (You're still supposed to make a debit card purchase according to the guidelines when there is a cash discount)
Why ask the employee if signage is all that matters?? Oh well!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2023 07:49PM by luckygirl0100.

Thanks, lucky. I just had one today with surcharge signs but no additional charge was on my receipt. After all, It's not our fault if the store doesn't follow their own rules but you never know when an MSC will decide it is.

Also, I am noticing so many more small businesses adding surcharges than they did 3 or so years ago.

I know years ago (30 years) American Express used to charge businesses twice the fee of Visa and Mastercard. I don't know if that is true or not. AMEX used to ask cardmembers to report any businesses that accepted the card and charged an additional fee for using their card.

I believe this is the whole reason for this shop. I believe it is in the businesses' contracts that they will not charge a fee to use the card. I believe the fees are now somewhere around 6%.

And surcharges seem to be a double-dip for the business. They can write off fees they pay as a cost of business and get reimbursed by the customer as well. If they're bent toward that sort of thing.

Has anyone managed to get them to agree to reimburse more than the $10 for a shop? A restaurant near me is on the list and their appetizers start at around $15. If they'd agree to reimburse me for $20 I could order an appetizer to go. I stopped by today, and they were not serving (they only do dinner) but was able to determine that they charge a 3% surcharge. I emailed the MS company and asked if they would reimburse me for more. Buying a $10 gift card would just be stupid, and I have no interest in sitting at the bar for a cheap drink.

I did four of these on Thursday. I was very disappointed to find that a bakery and a cafe where I planned to get a smoothie did not have a surcharge, so no reimbursement. Fortunately, neither was terribly out of the way. There was an auto parts store where I considered stopping at on my way home, but my phone battery was almost dead, so I would not have been able to check in and get pictures.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2023 07:21AM by MisterBill.

@wrosie wrote:

I know years ago (30 years) American Express used to charge businesses twice the fee of Visa and Mastercard. I don't know if that is true or not. AMEX used to ask cardmembers to report any businesses that accepted the card and charged an additional fee for using their card.

I believe this is the whole reason for this shop. I believe it is in the businesses' contracts that they will not charge a fee to use the card. I believe the fees are now somewhere around 6%.

It used to be illegal to charge more for credit cards or give a cash discount. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.

@sestrahelena wrote:

And surcharges seem to be a double-dip for the business. They can write off fees they pay as a cost of business and get reimbursed by the customer as well. If they're bent toward that sort of thing.

Actually, charging extra for debit cards is a major scam. The interbank charge for those was reduced to very little a few years ago (that's why there are almost no checking account rewards programs anymore), so the merchants should not be charging the same for credit and debit cards. Sadly, all of them that I've shopped do charge the same. One restaurant I ate at personally even charged extra to use their gift cards!

The state and locality end up making more money when there is a surcharge because it's been taxable wherever I've been charged it.

@MisterBill wrote:

Has anyone managed to get them to agree to reimburse more than the $10 for a shop? A restaurant near me is on the list and their appetizers start at around $15. If they'd agree to reimburse me for $20 I could order an appetizer to go. I stopped by today, and they were not serving (they only do dinner) but was able to determine that they charge a 3% surcharge. I emailed the MS company and asked if they would reimburse me for more. Buying a $10 gift card would just be stupid, and I have no interest in sitting at the bar for a cheap drink.

I did four of these on Thursday. I was very disappointed to find that a bakery and a cafe where I planned to get a smoothie did not have a surcharge, so no reimbursement. Fortunately, neither was terribly out of the way. There was an auto parts store where I considered stopping at on my way home, but my phone battery was almost dead, so I would not have been able to check in and get pictures.

No they won't. The MSC doesn't care that you have 'no interest' in sitting at the bar for a cheap drink.
Pretty sure their contract with the client doesn't require 100% location completion so if that location doesn't get done, oh well.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2023 03:46PM by luckygirl0100.

@MisterBill They have been all over the place with reimbursement. A couple of cycles ago, the reimbursement started at $6 and then sometime during the run, they bumped it to $12 and now it is $10. A couple of cycles ago, the editors didn't know what was going on and rejected shops because no purchase was made when you couldn't, without going above the then $6 reimbursement.

@sestrahelena Like you, I have had shops where there is a sign that they charge a fee, so I make a purchase, but then they don't charge. I want them to charge the fee and get nervous that I won't get reimbursed and won't get paid when they don't charge the fee.

It seems that they are very picky with pictures this time around and will reject it on that premise alone, even if you have a receipt showing a charge. The problem I have with it is that the lighting isn't always ideal. The only way to get a good pic would be to turn the flash on and I don't think that will go over too well with the employees/owner.

@heywave wrote:

@sestrahelena Like you, I have had shops where there is a sign that they charge a fee, so I make a purchase, but then they don't charge. I want them to charge the fee and get nervous that I won't get reimbursed and won't get paid when they don't charge the fee.

It seems that they are very picky with pictures this time around and will reject it on that premise alone, even if you have a receipt showing a charge. The problem I have with it is that the lighting isn't always ideal. The only way to get a good pic would be to turn the flash on and I don't think that will go over too well with the employees/owner.

One of my shops yesterday had a sign saying that they had a 4% discount for cash, and no fee was listed on the receipt. But I was charged 4+% more than the price on the printed menu that I took.

I'm surprised that places would not add the surcharge when they say that they do, since that's usually added automatically by the credit card terminal.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2023 07:24PM by MisterBill.

Did anyone notice that more Visa debit shops dropped Friday in their area? The big issue is the new shops disappeared when I zoomed in on the map and the same boring shops, mostly nail salons, remained. Today I saw them pop up again. I was only able to grab one before getting a "we've reached an allotment on these shops" message.

With the drop of additional shops, there were now 5 times as many shops as before. I don't get why I would see an allotment message.

Typically how long does it take to be paid for the shop? I’ve done various shops for different MSC some are instant through the end of the following month