In Washington this week, state lawmakers are making big decisions when it comes to consumers and their credit cards. For every transaction that involves a credit card, the merchant or business must pay a small fee to the credit card company for the convenience of using this method of payment. While credit cards are in fact convenient and easy for customers to use, some merchants may be wondering if the financial costs outweigh the convenient benefits. While the fees attached to credit and some debit cards are minimal, there is some worry that the fees are disproportional to cost of using this type of payment. Concern for the merchant and the customer is growing as both wonder if convenient cards actually make the back in costs rise dramatically. Some businesses are encouraging customers to use alternative forms of payment, like cash, rather than using a credit or debit card. In addition, a discount is sometimes offered to anyone using cash instead of a card. While the legislature has yet to make any decisions on the matter, small businesses may take matters into their own hands by increasing the costs of their goods and services to cover the costs incurred by credit or debit card processing fees.