Is It Legal to Charge a Credit Card Processing Fee? (2024)

FAQs

Is It Legal to Charge a Credit Card Processing Fee? ›

Merchants can impose a surcharge as long as it doesn't exceed the cost of the merchant's processing fee. Merchants may offer discounts for payment by cash, check or other methods unrelated to credit cards. There is no prohibition for credit card surcharges and no statute on discounts for different payment methods.

Merchants can impose a surcharge as long as it doesn't exceed the cost of the merchant's processing fee. Merchants may offer discounts for payment by cash, check or other methods unrelated to credit cards. There is no prohibition for credit card surcharges and no statute on discounts for different payment methods.

There are legal options for passing on credit card fees to customers. Credit card surcharging and cash discounting are the two main options for passing on fees. Adding a surcharge to credit card payments is not legal in every state, but offering a cash discount is.

The average credit card processing fee, which will be taken out of a merchant's sales revenue, is in the range of about 1.5 percent to 3.5 percent. Merchants can negotiate their card processing fees and they are not set in stone.

If you choose to impose surcharges in the US, you are required to follow certain protocols and state regulations. You must notify the appropriate credit card associations before imposing fees, and your credit card surcharge must not exceed the cost of accepting the card or four percent of the total transaction.

Credit card processing fees typically cost a business 1.5% to 3.5% of each transaction's total. For example, you'd pay $1.50 to $3.50 in credit card fees for a sale of $100.

Yes, charging customers for credit card fees is legal in most states (debit card surcharging is not allowed). However, there are specific rules on how this must be displayed, when this must be displayed, what parties you need to inform before implementing, and how much you can actually surcharge.

Are credit card handling fees legal? ›

Businesses cannot impose any surcharge for using the following methods of payment: consumer credit cards, debit cards or charge cards.

The reason why credit card companies charge a percentage to accept payments from customers on their network is because it's how they make money. Simple as that! This fee, known as the merchant discount rate (MDR) typically ranges from 2-3%, sometimes they can be as high as 5%.

Markups (Negotiable)

It's the only area of credit card processing expense that you can negotiate. The processing markup includes the processor's rates, credit card transaction fees, monthly fees, and any fees associated with software, gateways or processing equipment. That is, any fees that the processor can control.

They are legal in most states, but businesses must: Disclose any surcharges at the point of sale and on the receipt. Apply surcharges only to credit card transactions. Limit the minimum payment to $10 or less.

Businesses should clearly and conspicuously notify customers of any credit card surcharges both at the point of entry and at the point of sale. This means having signs or notices in visible locations that inform customers about the surcharge.

A surcharge is not a convenience fee. A convenience fee is levied by a merchant for offering customers the privilege of paying with an alternative non-standard payment method. Merchants can process convenience fees in all 50 states. A surcharge is levied by a merchant for customer purchases made with a credit card.

Key Takeaways. Credit card fees are not deductible for individuals and are deductible for businesses. Businesses can deduct all credit card fees as well as finance charges. Businesses are eligible to deduct credit or debit card processing fees associated with paying taxes, but individuals are not.

This is in exchange for having the payment securely processed by a credit card network. In most cases, credit card processing fees will run between 1.5% to 4% of the total value of a transaction. A $1,000 transaction, therefore, could have fees ranging from $15 up to $40. The overall impact depends on your margins.

In many states, the answer is yes. Because you live in California, however, the answer is no. A California employer may not deduct any part of an employee's tip to pay credit card processing fees.