Credit Card Surcharging

As a result of the recent credit card class action lawsuit settlement with Visa and Mastercard, as of October 6, 2022, businesses have the option of adding a surcharge to a credit card transaction in order to offset the processing fee charged to a business.

Important to Note:

• According to Visa and MasterCard, you can surcharge a maximum of 2.4% per purchase. The surcharge is not applied to Visa Debit or Debit MasterCard cards.

• Merchants must clearly disclose surcharges and fees to cardholders before a transaction is completed. Cardholders must be able to cancel the transaction without penalty before authorizing payment.

• In order to add a surcharge on MasterCard payments, you are required to notify both MasterCard and their “acquirer,” (the bank or financial institution that processes the credit card payments) at least 30 days in advance. To do this, fill out this online disclosure form and also notify your acquirer separately.

• For Visa credit cards, you must only provide a written notice to your acquirer at least 30 days prior.

• For more information on credit card surcharges, click here.