VISA & MasterCard are the cards that will be accepted

[torrey.smith]

I asked and got a very quick response.

VISA & MasterCard remain the cards that can be used.

I'm curious if anyone would benefit from different cards? Personally, I would prefer to use AMEX but I can work around that.

Paypal, Bitcoin, etc. would be fun.

(it feels funny typing those brand names onto this forum )

[digital]

PayPal can be used if you have a PalPal debit card.
Bitcoin is risky given price fluctuations.
AMEX would be nice except that Amex charges a ridiculous amount per transaction to the merchant.
Visa / MasterCard are the logical choices therefore.

[AntiM]

Does anyone even have Discover cards anymore?

[Ratty]

It's the card choice of Sam's club. That's the only place I use it.

[Elderberry]

It's the card choice of Sam's club. That's the only place I use it.

Yup.

[pink]

I use mine all the time.

[trilobyte]

Congratulations, you've emailed and gotten an answer on a question that's in the FAQ.

[Elderberry]

Congratulations, you've emailed and gotten an answer on a question that's in the FAQ.

[torrey.smith]

Congratulations, you've emailed and gotten an answer on a question that's in the FAQ.

I searched all of the DGS emails, but never thought to check the website.

I figure if anyone benefits from this thread we've done some good

I was amazed at how quickly I got a response. Thanks Lulu!

[delle]

I'm just going to say congratulations at having done the leg work and shared the results, regardless of where else the info might have been available.

If it's any consolation at all, your post just popped up in front of me, answering a question I'd JUST asked myself, saving me having to dig around myself and giving me a little "oooh. it's MAGIC" Burning Man tingle.

Appreciate it! Thank you!!!

[DrYes]

Bitcoin is risky given price fluctuations.

Bitcoin is not risky at all regarding price fluctuations since as a merchant you can simply immediately and, for free (particularly as a non-profit), convert to USD using Bitpay, Coinbase, etc. You bear no currency risk as a merchant in that circumstance.

The reason the org isn't doing ticket sales in Bitcoin and only accepting it for donations is that it was only initially discussed in October. Taking donations is easy as there are no deliverables, whereas selling tickets for bitcoin is a bit tougher due to having an associated deliverable attached to it, needing a refund policy, and so on. Doesn't sound like much, but the org is pretty overtaxed as it is.

If they start seeing a lot of demand from Burners to pay in bitcoin (for instance, if there are a lot of bitcoin donations) they'll consider it, and presumably if Ticketfly started generally accepting bitcoin it would be easy for BM to sell tix for bitcoin via ticketfly, but not going to be this year.

[AlexMN1984]

Amex doesn't charge any more for credit card transactions than Visa and Mastercard do. However, there are no Amex debit cards, and Visa and Mastercard charge much less for processing a debit card transaction than they do a credit card. So, 100% of Amex transactions are credit cards and charged the higher rate, while only some lower percentage of Visa and MC transactions are credit cards, while the rest are debit cards and charged at the lower rate.

[digital]

Amex doesn't charge any more for credit card transactions than Visa and Mastercard do.

You sure about that? Are you a merchant who's compared Amex vs others?

http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/tips/rew ... n-express/

Bitcoin is risky given price fluctuations.

Bitcoin is not risky at all regarding price fluctuations since as a merchant you can simply immediately and, for free (particularly as a non-profit), convert to USD using Bitpay, Coinbase, etc. You bear no currency risk as a merchant in that circumstance.

True. As someone who's accepted Bitcoin since the $3.- mark I have never been a fan of those instant exchange options. The fees with Coinbase add up quickly and I've always held BTC in a private wallet.

[trilobyte]

It doesn't make any difference what rate AmEx (or any other card) does or does not charge, it is not a form of payment accepted for Burning Man tickets. From the FAQ:

What forms of payment do you accept?

We only accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards and debit cards.

If you do not have a credit card, you can obtain a Visa or Mastercard gift card and register your details to it. Make sure you have enough money on the gift card for the amount of the total order (ticket price + service + delivery fees).

We do not accept PayPal, wire transfers, or E-Check/ACH.

See the service fee section and delivery section of the ticket page for specific fee amounts.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns regarding paying for tickets, please get in touch with the ticket team through the Ticketing Support site.