In general, stores charge more for credit card or check card purchases than cash purchases. For example, an accommodation near Jungmoon of CBNU asks for 20,000 won in cash, but it charges 30,000 won or more for the same purchase for cards. I asked the shopkeeper the reason for requiring more money for cards than a cash payment. The shop owner lost her temper by saying, 'Cash only! It is just my meal ticket,' rather than properly explaining.

 More and more students are using cards which are more convenient to use than cash and are enjoying benefits including discounts or points which can be used after accumulating a certain amount. Charging goods and services has become commonplace. Therefore, being credit card affiliates for stores is not optional but essential.

 The trouble is that storekeepers who prefer cash payments to card transactions transfer the burden of card commissions to customers. When customers try to pay by cards, shop owners ask for them to pay more money which ranges from several thousand won to tens of thousands of won. Alternatively, the owners sometimes refuse cards. In such situations, consumers feel intimidated when charging purchases.

 According to the regulations on credit card use, however, it is prohibited for the stores to shift their service fees to customers. If shopkeepers violate the regulations, they shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine not exceeding ten million won. Consumers can report unfair treatment from shops through the Financial Supervisory Service, the National Tax Service, or credit card companies.

 Stores shouldn't tyrannize customers by imputing their card commissions or refusing card transactions, but rather they should file complaints to credit card companies which have made a large profit with a high rate of service fees. Consumers don't need to feel small any more when charging purchases even if the prices of goods and services are not exceeding 1,000 won. A staff member of the Korea Consumer Protection Board said, "There is no lower limit on the amount of the purchases by cards.