Fight to keep your little bits

I get annoyed when I'm charged extra for purchases I make with my credit card just because someone else doesn't have the common sense to utilize the magic of "Square" technology. We are all victims of merchant's ignorance to this incredible new service. It's not the chincy amount I'm charged that bothers me. It's the injustice of being charged for something and getting nothing in return.

I never knew my commitment to fighting this rampant injustice until I found myself willingly creating a more expensive coffee beverage so that the added charge would be voided on account of my reaching the "minimum" required to avoid the additional fee.

I ordered an Americano, which is usually one of the most inexpensive drinks at a cafe, but being firm in my perception of fairness--that not even a cent should be paid towards something that gives you absolutely no returned bang for your offered buck--I added shots of espresso to my drink until I surpassed the "penalty zone."



After reaching the $3.50 mark I'd cleared the minimum $3 and was free of extra charges. It represented a small, but necessary victory for my cause. I was only going to get a $2 drink to begin with, but my dedication to my principles cost me, as all worthy causes seem to do.

Join me in this cause: advise merchants, cashiers and anyone who charges you extra for paying with plastic to research the "Square" for their future vending options. It will likely save them a lot of money, which will then save you and I a lot of littles bits of money usually thrown away here and there. Those little bits add up to college tuition, well, kind of, but not really, however, it's the principle that matters most. Remember? Fight with me brothers and sisters. Fight to keep your little bits.






...ramble on...