Mastercard - no tobacco purchases?

[Studebaker]

Originally Posted by neoflex

Wow, that is ! If I still had a Mastercard and that was their policy I would call them and cancel the thing. That's total crap. How do they get off saying you can not buy tobacco products with the card. What's next? You can't use your card to buy beer at the grocery store or for a bar tab because drinking is bad for you. Just when you think things have hit rock bottom.

Not to threadjack, but this reminds me of an idiot older woman working in a convenience store many years ago who actually wouldn't take my card to buy beer. She didn't think one was allowed to use a credit card for beer. I was absolutely flabbergasted at her stupidity. I'm feeling myself getting ticked off all over again.

[webjunkie]

I could be wrong but I thought that Mastercard had started this with illegal cigarette sales online and that if a vendor was in compliance with all federal, state, and local laws then they didn't have a problem. I could have missed them banning all tobacco purchases.

[groogs]

I bought a few boxes from JR's last month with my MC without any problems. I wouldn't worry about it.

Originally Posted by webjunkie

I could be wrong but I thought that Mastercard had started this with illegal cigarette sales online and that if a vendor was in compliance with all federal, state, and local laws then they didn't have a problem. I could have missed them banning all tobacco purchases.

Yep the rule was because of cigs and the taxing, here is the link to the story from 2005.

( LINK )

Chas