Open Source Visa/Mastercard Competitor: Zenobia Pay

Re:Open Source Visa/Mastercard Competitor: Zenobia Pay by itake on Thursday August 14, 2025 @01:22AM (#44896992)

The price is the same if you use cash or card. Really, after reward points, card tends to be even cheaper.

Visa/Mastercard/BNPL/Klarna etc. all have negotiated discounts for consumers, paid for by the merchant.

I'm skeptical that merchants would lower prices (stepping away from $x.98, etc) instead of pocketing the higher margins themselves.

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Re:Open Source Visa/Mastercard Competitor: Zenobia Pay by sampullman on Thursday August 14, 2025 @04:12AM (#44898008)

You're right that once prices have gone up, they rarely come back down. But if the price is the same, when you pay cash you're effectively subsidizing credit card reward programs, and lining Visa/Mastercard/issuer pockets.

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Re:Open Source Visa/Mastercard Competitor: Zenobia Pay by itake on Thursday August 14, 2025 @06:50AM (#44898916)

Same can be said about health insurance: private insurance negotiate lower prices than the non-insured due to collective bargaining.

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Re:Open Source Visa/Mastercard Competitor: Zenobia Pay by victorbjorklund on Thursday August 14, 2025 @02:25AM (#44897313)

if all customers choose to us cash the merchant could lower price with 3%. If you are the only one paying cash then yes the price will stay the same.

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Re:Open Source Visa/Mastercard Competitor: Zenobia Pay by itake on Thursday August 14, 2025 @06:50AM (#44898924)

Why would the merchant lower the price by 3% if consumers are willing to pay the current price?

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