nova:

 

There is quite a bit of irony in that this thread is currently right next to the "Things that were meant to have bought prices down but have not". Since the new regulations were introduced, there seems to have been very little in the way of passthrough to consumer. Instead of going down, retail surcharges have gone up if anything, and have certainly become a lot more widespread. The main impact on the consumer is that credit card reward programs have reduced the rewards. So a double whammy, more surcharges and less rewards.

 

I agree with the OP that 3% is excessive, but maybe the doctor has low turnover and doesn't get good credit card rates. And maybe if you're allowed to pass it on there is less incentive to get a good rate. And GPs have certainly been squeezed financially, to the detriment of the population as a whole. My dentist doesn't charge a credit card surcharge, but they charge a whole lot more than my GP...

 

Agreed - its been a bit on both sides as you say, the "rewards" schemes have gotten notably worse, and retailers are still charging the same amount of fees in many cases, or as you said, are more prevalent than ever as an additional charge now. 

I definitely think that 3% is excessive. So I have written in to the practice, and they have said they will pass my message onto management to review the fees against actual cost to serve + the legislation and their provider. So we'll see where that goes.

cddt:

 

To avoid the fee, just pay with your EFTPOS card instead. 

 

My issue with this is that it's all well and good for those that can afford it, but I know a number of people that do not have that luxury (and yes it feels gross saying that) to just pay cash - and that unfortunately includes visiting the doctor. I can't speak to the money they make at the practice i visit - but I know that my visits have gone from $19.50 up to minimum $60 (for 15 mins), and in some cases much more a 20min consult is $95.

It is usually very hard to get an appointment at this branch - They are central CBD, and usually booked out, though after they started charging 3 times (and more) the price, I've noticed availability has come up significantly, which suggests the lack of affordability has drastically reduced the amount of patients able to see a doctor... but their pricing is a separate issue...