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The Canadian banks are big enough to build a wholly Canadian credit system for global use, especially if they could get everyone in Canada (and maybe elsewhere) to switch right now.
They probably get too many incentives from Visa and Mastercard to find it enticing though, which is why they're always pushing credit cards and offering cashback and airmiles, etc.
I think there is a European alternative being developed. Perhaps we can get in on that.
Nationalize them! Bring this back under societal control and eliminate that tax.
Then SpaceX, Twitter, and Amazon.
Of course this assumes we defeat the fascists and fix the Supreme Court first.
I have never yet had a problem challenging and reversing a charge made to my credit card. Their fraud detection also seems to be superior. On the other hand, members of my family have had to jump through hoops when challenging fraudulent Interac transactions. They have felt like they are being seen as the more likely perpetrator, and meanwhile the money is no longer in their account while the process drags out. Very stressful.
I have a cash back VISA card. The week after Jan 20, I pulled my card info off every online service I use, stopped using the card entirely, and a few days ago canceled it completely. It was a tough choice. I generally earned about $600 a year cash back, but it's time to free ourselves of America and forge our own path. I don't really see the Can/American relationship ever being repaired at this point. Time to move on.
I work for an American credit card company, and my advice is to ditch credit and debit cards entirely. Use cash.
As another American who works in the industry, it's a wedding cake of frighteningly bad software piled on top of well-intentioned but poorly implemented mandates piled on top of willful ignorance frosted with solving problems people don't actually have. And the little couple on top are both the capitalist pigman from a 1930s Soviet poster that we all recognize thanks to Hexbear :`(
I prefer cash too.
I would love to hear your side of things. Cash is better for curbing impulse spending and it is of course anonymous but it is inconvenient. I feel like there's a target on my back when I walk around with more than a couple hundred dollars.
If enough people know you're carrying that much cash for it to be a potential issue, you've got other security issues that should honestly be your priority.
Checkbooks exist for a reason.
Ok now, let's not go bringing back that nonsense. Cash is fine. You're no more likely to be robbed than usual because you're carrying a lot, and you can do what I do. If you need to carry a lot of money in cash, put $49 in your wallet and the rest in your sock.
I’m on board for this but this proposal is up against a familiar devil: the network effect.
Shops support Visa and Mastercard because customers use them, customers use them because shops support them. This creates a powerful network that is extremely difficult for an upstart to unseat.
So while it’s a good idea to encourage people to take individual action on this — and you’re doing a great job doing so, and I’m taking it to heart for my own actions — we also need to accompany this with a policy solution to help overcome the network effect.
You have a point when it comes to online shopping (although I'd call it a simple monopoly), but there's no such effect at physical stores. Interac and cash are already universally accepted, people can stop using visa/mastercard right now and not even have to think about it. Just grab a different card when you leave the house.
You’re correct that it’s a monopoly, but the point I’m trying to make is that because of the network effect the monopoly will be difficult to unseat without accompanying policy.
Needs to be a solution for those of us who are housebound and/or rural. Online is our only option.
You're right and the network effect would be very hard to overcome for this. It would need a lot of media attention just like liquor and alcohol.
I whipped this up too.
This is super cool. And you’ve inspired this Canadian to start moving more payments to Interac. Love the message and I’m on board.
My suggestion to accompany this with policy is not an alternative to taking personal action, but complementary.
One piece of constructive feedback on the artwork— it might be helpful to stress the positive aspect front and centre. For example lead with Interac with a maple leaf, and the American systems in lower prominence by having them 2/3 sized and positioned below.
Please don’t misconstrue my feedback in your mind as an attempt to distract or demoralize you through bike-shedding or anything like that. You’re doing great stuff and it’s inspiring.
It's not in any way a tax. It's a fee you pay for a service you wish to use. It's as much a tax as the money spent on a doughnut is a tax.
The rest of your idea is great. Wish I had access to something like that.
At least you can see a tax on your receipt. Visa, MasterCard and so on all have in their contracts with businesses that you can't tell the customers how much it costs.
I call it a tax because the charge is a percentage of the transaction instead of a flat fee. The fact that Interac can charge a flat fee shows that it is possible.
The "tax" is only accepted because consumers can't see it, and then we're offered rewards like the percent cash back. That's our own damn money they're rewarding us with!
I've known some methane who claim that they also have a flat fee, even from visa and MasterCard. So it can certainly be done.
For this to work, Interac needs to incentivize using it like credit cards do.
All types of loans require a credit score of some kind, and credit cards are one of the best ways to build this. Additionally, credit cards usually offer some kind of return.
Also because of poverty, a lot of people have a dependency on credit or payment plans.
Interac needs to make a Canadian answer to the credit card.
I'm European. We don't get credit card benefits, we just get stolen from. Everyone uses them nonetheless.
Oh wow no cash back at all??
What is it? You always pay the exact amount, why any cash (change) back?
Many credit cards in North America have a cash back or loyalty points scheme. In cash back, you essentially get a cut of the network fee back as virtual value to pay off your statement. With points, you earn the points based on the amount spent, and can redeem them for things like travel or gift cards. Some merchant categories earn more as an incentive (e.g. 2% of purchase value or 10 points per dollar for groceries and monthly automatic bills, 1% or 5 points on everything else).
Edit: Oh and I should mention, some offer complementary car and travel insurance benefits, airport lounge access, electronic device insurance too. So it's definitely compelling for a lot of people, since >90% of places don't offer cash discounts or CC Fee, so people would essentially get or lose the benefits with no difference in price.
On a lot of credit cards you get rewards for using them, like interest income. Basically the more you use it, the more interest you get, and you'll get a credit in your account annually.
Some cards have different rewards like 2% back on all grocery spending for example.
Oh, we don't have that. Nor air miles. Nor easy refunds.
I suppose the "richer" Europeans do though, I heard it referenced in an English movie of the same name.
Also, we never used checks, pretty much. Probably contributed to the explosion of CC use in the 90s despite the lack of benefits.
That's very interesting, I learned something new today!
I've only ever used a debit card when I was in Europe. There was zero incentive to get a credit card. Moving in the US was different, I needed to build credit and cards were the best way.
Now I have a Prime card because 90%+ of my spending is on Amazon and at Whole Foods, both of which give 5% cash back. I get thousands every year, something really hard to give up. I wish I could stop giving Bezos money, but the convenience of Amazon is just too much of an advantage for me. And I know that shopping is now just a drop in their earnings compared to AWS.
God, I would honestly be so happy if we did away with credit entirely in Canada and removed all incentive to have credit cards.
You can get a line of credit from your local bank, tranfser the available funds into your checking account on demand, then use your Interac card. The amount and rates are variable, so you can start with a small amount with a high rate (like starter credit cards), and as you build a reputation, you can be loaned larger amounts at a better rate. No third party credit card company required.
There's absolutely a way, for sure, I just mean it's gonna be difficult to get most people on board until there is an option just as or more convenient than the current one.
This is definitely one of the biggest hurdles with getting rid of credit cards, the lack of easy credit history.
Going the line of credit route is ok, but there's no grace period before interest is charged, unlike most credit cards. So it's something to be aware of.
Part of the problem for me is that paying interest to RBC, BMO, Scotiabank, TD, CIBC, BN in place of American payment networks when they aren't really hurting for money, is not really helpful or impactful for anyone except for me in a negative way.
I’ve given up taking visa / Amex / Mastercard. My business now only accepts Interac e-transfer and cash.
Interac is hands down the most secure way to pay for something. I never have to take a card from a customer, the customer never has to take on additional debt, the money is automatically deposited into my account within seconds, and it costs me absolutely no money to do this and I have to pay no money to a merchant to make it happen.
I wish I could do this at more places.
Please understand that there are also many third party card processors. That is the company that takes the transaction from the merchant to the payment system. The payment system then takes the transaction to the bank.
Don't be discouraged, but someone may need to become card processors to vendors.
Pressure on Visa and MasterCard may work, but the boycott will need to overcome license fees.
I have the same question as sloppychops. If my interac debit card is also Visa, how would I know whether the payment terminal is routing through Visa or Interac?
I am one who offers to pay in cash sometimes to small businesses, treating it like an additional tip. But more and more businesses in the Vancouver area use Clover (A Canadian subsidiary owned by Wells Fargo) and Square (American fintech), and either take card only (which they get their cut with Interac debit too), or the staff get a little impatient when I rummage around for cash in my wallet.
I checked my bank for that recently. If you tap or use your PIN in Canada, it's Interac. Everything else is VISA.