There is a candy store near my house that has a bowl of mixed candy near the register. You can take a piece from the bowl if you pay in cash.

I've been doing this by just straight up asking. "Is there a discount with cash?" "No" "Ok, I'll pay with my card"

Merchants prefer cash as card costs them money.

Usually works with dry cleaners, cafes, etc. Big businesses generally say no.

Funny, I've always viewed it as a card surcharge rather than a cash discount.

Merchants don't always prefer cash. There's trade-offs to both. If merchants always preferred cash then there wouldn't be merchants who go cashless, and there are.

Working with cash costs money too, counting, storage, transport, costs to deposit/get out of a bank

Many gas stations will prominently display the cash/debit price on the big sign, and the credit price may not be visible at all until you get to the pump.

I'm not sure if this is more prevalent in certain regions, because I never noticed it until I drove west from the east coast. First I was confused when I stopped at the cheapest gas station I saw somewhere in Nevada, only to discover it was cash/debit ONLY, and I think there was a 35-cent charge for using debit. After that, in California, I started noticing how easy it is to see the cash price when driving by, but you often have to look closely for the credit price.

Technically charging less for cash violates merchant credit card ToSs, so big companies don't do it and small companies don't advertise it. If you're making a big purchase you can just ask.

I think that TOS clause was overturned by a class action lawsuit: https://consumerist.com/2012/07/13/visa-mastercard-agree-to-...

It seems some states still ban it by law, though.

Just ask! "Do you give a cash discount?"