What is a reasonable deposit ?

[MikeSh]

25 minutes ago, RonYarisX said:

Are you sure that's not part of the fee that makes up the transaction fee?

To cite one example, Barclaycard Debit can charge up to something like 1.75% if the transaction is done in person, or 2% if it's done online. I don't know about other providers.

For a long time there has been a difference between Debit and Credit card fees and I've paid for cars numerous times using the former with no mention of fees, but a definite refusal to accept a CC. Many retailers were 'punitive' about CCs but IIRC the law was changed recently to prohibit extra charges to the customer for using them, though I think they can still accept DCs only and refuse CCs (but I'm not certain).

Anyway, I did a bit of a search and found this page:

How Much Do Debit & Credit Card Companies Charge UK Retailers

which contains this piece:

Here’s the average payment fee for all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Visa Electron, Diners Club, MasterCard, Maestro, etc.) issued in the UK: 

• Credit bank cards: 1.5% up to 3.5%
• Credit bank cards owned by business entities: 1.6% up to 1.8%
• Debit bank cards: 0.25% up to 0.35%

(Below that extract is an explanation of the problem with Amex cards.)

However, reading further down the page it gets muddier again. But I'm 99% sure that CCs charge retailers more than DCs because the CC company has to make a profit, even for customers that never incur interest charges.

[Big_D]

I paid £100 deposit when I bought my C-HR. My wife was asked to pay £500 when she bought her Yaris (different Dealer).