> whenever you want you can always throw the credit card merchant agreement at any of those vendors just because you feel mildly inconvenienced.

This is a recurring misconception: merchants have been allowed to set a credit card minimum of up to $10 since Dodd-Frank[1]. Even before that, entire industries have had merchant exemptions (utility and rent collection come to mind).

The rest of this response is bizarrely cynical: I don’t feel “sowwy” for them; I like saving money on my coffee and I’m happy knowing that my payment method is more sustainable, since it means I don’t have to worry about changing my routine.

[1]: http://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/new-rules-ele...