This Consumerist post deals specifically with a situation in Texas, but it’s something I see here in NYC all the time. How many people know that credit card minimum purchases are actually a violation of the contract between vendors and credit card companies? We’ve all seen the “$10 minimum purchase on credit card” signs at businesses all over town, and just blindly accepted them. Well, I know I have anyway, even in situations where I’d much rather pay with a credit card. (Actually, I’d pretty much always prefer to pay with a credit card, but that’s just me.)

Interestingly, the Consumerist thread got really soap opera-y, with lots of back-and-forth between the site and the proprietors of the business in question. Here’s a link to the most recent update, which has links to all previous installments.