Do your vendors take credit cards?

FlintstonePearl

The event planner handling my flowers, rentals, etc. as well as my reception venue have both informed me that they don't accept credit cards. Both expect full payment before the wedding. I have deep reservations about paying major vendors with cash/check because I wouldn't have any recourse in the event of a dispute.

Is anyone else dealing with no-credit card vendors? 

KBLDC2012

Yes, that is very typical. Credit Card transactions have fees per swipe, usually around at 3-5%. The service also charges the vendor a regular fee just for having it so for them it can be super expensive because wedding vendors don't do credit card transactions daily (like retailers or restaurants do), credit card acceptance doesn't really make sense for them to financially. If the vendor does allow credit card, some will charge you the fee (that's how my venue did it if we would have paid be credit). And actually my photographer would have accepted credit which I use for everything bc of rewards but I work for a financial/bank company so I know how it works and I paid him by check anyways. In terms of recourse with credit cards, you don't have that much recourse unless you claim fraud or that the retailer didn't provide the full contracted service like they didn't show up at all but you legally shouldn't dispute something through your credit card just bc you weren't happy with the service. Even when you dispute something, they still have the right to fight it. Hopefully you just wont have to deal with this kind of situation!

MrsGilliatt

Don't worry about having to dispute stuff - that's why you have contracts with each vendor.  If they don't do as they were contracted - then you can get your money back because you have a contract that stipulates your expectations, etc.

Aside from the honeymoon where you had to use a credit-only credit card, I haven't tried to use a credit card with anything else wedding related- because we wanted to pay for the wedding with cash and not incur any debt before marriage- but we have certainly used "debit" cards to make a payment for stuff here and there - but the money is still gone.  I actually think only my videographer takes debit cards....

Good luck!

mpickl

Only a couple of my vendors accepted credit cards, but they charged an additional fee. Like Mrs. G said, that's what the contracts are for. I have been issuing my checks directly from my bank (I don't have a checkbook, I just input the payment info into my bank's website and they send the payment); I don't know how much help that will be if I needed to dispute something, but at least it is easy to keep track of the payments.

FlintstonePearl

Thanks for the feedback, ladies. I feel better knowing this is a standard practice. I will be putting my checks in the mail today!

dawnleanna1

Most of our vendors will take credit cards except for the really small businesses. However, each one adds between 2.75-4% extra for the service fee. For that reason we did pay alot with checks.

sparkles776

I am pretty sure that my venue takes credit cards, but they are the only ones. Its definitely a common practice.