My wife and I wanted to go on the half-day tour which, for the two of us would cost approximately $160. For that amount of money, I was shocked to discover that the Tour wanted cash. It wasn't that the Tour didn't have a capability to accept a credit card, indeed, as part of signing up the Tour takes your credit card and charges it if you're a no show. I wrote asking if I could pay with my credit card. Sure, I was told -- but [the privilege of] doing so would cost me over $13. I replied that, as a retailer I personally appreciated no one liked to pay the bank fees. But, I added, when I accepted a credit card and couldn't swipe it, the bank's fee was only 2¼% (in this case, about $3.60). I noted that the Tour's $13 fee sounded more like a penalty for using a credit card rather than just a fee -- and considerably more than just trying to offset the bank fee. Indeed some retailers will deduct up to 2% of the charge if the customer pays with cash, but that wasn't the case here. Still, I was fine with the Tour charging a fee to offset the bank fee it is charged, but I suggested a 3% fee ($4.80 in this case) which would more than offset what fee the bank charged. The Tour replied the only reason it asked for cash was because some customers paid on the spot, and there was no way for the tour guide to know who had paid ahead and who hadn't. I wrote back saying that might have been a legitimate excuse prior to the introduction of cell phones and E-mails -- but not for at least 15 years. Besides, wrote the person I was communicating with at the Tour, she didn't have the authority to negotiate with me, only her manager could -- so either pay their $13 fee to use my credit card, or pay with cash. I then asked that she take my matter up with her manager. Some 24-hours later, I hadn't received a reply. read more