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πŸ’³ Pricing β€’ August 2023

Credit Card Surcharging: Can You Pass Fees to Customers?

Legal in most states, smart in some situations β€” here’s the full breakdown

4%
Max Surcharge
46
States Where Legal
2.5%
Avg Savings
πŸ—ΊοΈ State Legality Map
StatusStates
ProhibitedConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma
RegulatedColorado, New York (specific rules apply)
LegalAll other 44 states + DC
πŸ“‹ POS Surcharging Support
POS SystemSurchargingDual PricingNotes
Square❌ Prohibited in TOS❌Square explicitly bans surcharging
Toastβœ… Built-inβœ…Easy toggle in settings
Cloverβœ… Via Fiservβœ…Through surcharging program
SpotOnβœ… Nativeβœ…Dual pricing supported
Shopify❌ Not supported❌Not through Shopify Payments
πŸ€” Should You Surcharge?

πŸ‘ Pros

βœ… Saves 2-3% on every card sale
βœ… Recovers a real cost
βœ… Legal in most states

πŸ‘Ž Cons

❌ Customer backlash risk
❌ Perceived as “cheap”
❌ May lose card-paying customers

πŸ’‘ Better alternative: Cash discount programs β€” offer a discount for cash instead of a surcharge for cards. Same result, better customer perception.


POSadvice.com β€” Independent Reviews

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