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>> They are already charging as much as the market will bear

As Telcos discovered, they only advertise a base price. If you ask for the full price you'll owe, they wont tell to you. You'd need to be a lawyer and read the 15 pages of fine print to figure it out. Then, you get stuck in a 2yr contract, get the first bill, and discover all sorts of things like the "Regulatory Recovery Fee" and the "Emergency Surcharge"

>As Telcos discovered, they only advertise a base price. If you ask for the full price you'll owe, they wont tell to you. You'd need to be a lawyer and read the 15 pages of fine print to figure it out.

Source? While I agree the advertising doesn't prominently display the all-in price, claiming that you need to be a legal professional to figure it out is a bit hyperbolic.

Almost makes me long for the days of Earl Scheib's "I'll paint any car any color, no ups and no extras".

The market will only bear so little because there is competition creating a race to the bottom. If all of the credit card providers are to absorb the same hardship, then it is akin to moving the finish line, and the market will bear more because the market will have to.

They aren't suggesting they'll charge appreciably more; they are suggesting they'll charge the same in different ways.