Surcharging
Merchants can add a convenience fee of up to 4.0% to cover the cost of credit card transaction fees.
Pros:
- Merchants don't need to adjust listed prices
Cons:
- Merchants cannot surcharge debit cards
- Merchants need to adhere to compliance laws (see below)
VS
Cash Discounting
Merchants can raise their prices to absorb the cost of credit cards, and offer discounts for cash payments.
Pros:
- Customers absorb the cost of any form of payment you choose (including debit cards)
Cons:
- Merchants need to raise their prices to absorb the cost of transaction fees
Surcharging Rules and Our Solutions
- The merchant must be registered with Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
Our team completes each registration on your behalf. - The merchant must inform their customers of the credit card fee with appropriate signage at the store entrance (if applicable) and at the point of sale.
Our team provides you with all necessary signage. - The amount of the credit card fee must not exceed the merchant’s cost of acceptance or 4%, whichever is less.
Our team reviews your merchant statement and sets up your account with the right parameters. - The credit card fee and the price of the product or service must be processed together as one transaction.
Our solution processes the fee and the purchase amount as one transaction. - The receipt must show the amount of the credit card fee as a separate line item
Our solution produces a receipt that itemizes the fee amount. - The merchant must not apply a fee to debit cards.
Our solution automatically detects card type to exclude debit cards.
What happens if you are not compliant while surcharging?
-A letter will sent by the card brand to verify noncompliance
-Fines range from 1k-10k per transaction depending on the rule(s) that were broken and how often they were broken.
-Worst case scenario- You are placed on the MATCH LIST and won't be able to process with ANY processors.
*Ethical Pay Pro & CardX do not provide legal advice. These materials are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Please review your circumstances, including applicable state laws, with your independent legal advisors.