Many places near me have different cash/card pricing from a % to a flat fee on the transaction. I've used debit cards to pay car repair bills to skip the 3% fee (sizeable on a $2500 repair).
Your incentives are paid by the retailer/vendor, if fees are covered by them. If you're paying that fee, which includes profit for the payment/card processes, you may be losing money using a credit card even with perks like points and cash back.
I used to think the percentage fee is a lot (much less than 3% in UK) until I found out all the buyer protection that I’m getting. Literally one single bad merchant is enough for you to lose more
If another payment service offered the same or better protections by default with a lower or zero fee would you jump ship? Or would your bank at least offer that option?
Your incentives are paid by the retailer/vendor, if fees are covered by them. If you're paying that fee, which includes profit for the payment/card processes, you may be losing money using a credit card even with perks like points and cash back.