Let credit pay for credit.
Surcharging adds a small fee when a customer chooses to pay by credit card — the payment type that costs you the most. Debit customers pay nothing extra. Cash customers pay nothing extra. Your cost of accepting credit goes down.
It's a real program with real rules. Here's all of them, up front.
We'll show you your actual numbers before you decide anything.
Debit & cash pay $100.00 — no surcharge
What surcharging actually is
A surcharge is an additional fee you add to a customer's bill when they pay with a credit card. That's it. It's a separate line on the receipt, it's disclosed before they buy, and it exists to offset what that credit transaction costs you.
The key word is credit.
Surcharging is narrower than most people assume — and the narrowness is the whole compliance story.
Straight about the limits
We're going to front-load the limits, because this is the program where the rules bite.
There's a 3% cap
Never more than 3% (2% in Colorado), and never more than credit costs you.
Not legal everywhere
Prohibited in six jurisdictions — CA, CT, ME, MA, OK, and Puerto Rico.
Credit cards only
Never on debit, PIN debit, or prepaid — those run at your normal rate.
Registration required
Your bank registers you with the card brands first — so plan for lead time.
You have to disclose it — two places, plus the receipt
Point of entry — your door, or your site's entry/checkout.
Point of sale — the register, terminal, or checkout page.
On the receipt — itemized as its own separate line.
We provide the compliant signage and disclosure language from our processing partner. We don't improvise this part — and you shouldn't let anyone else improvise it for you either.
How the pricing works
All credit cards get surcharged at the same rate, and an offsetting flat rate is assigned to you so the two cancel out.
| Debit / cash | Credit | |
|---|---|---|
| $100 sale | $100.00 | $100.00 |
| Surcharge line | — | + $2.50 |
| Customer pays | $100.00 | $102.50 |
| You net | ~$100 (less debit rate) | ~$100.00 |
The credit customer sees exactly what the fee is, itemized on the receipt. Nothing is hidden — that's by design, and honestly, it's the version of this we like. Unlike cash discount, offline and PIN debit can be priced separately, so you can run a genuinely competitive debit rate while credit carries its own weight.
Surcharge vs. Cash Discount
Same goal, different mechanics. Neither is "better" — they're different tools.
| Surcharging | Dual pricing | |
|---|---|---|
| Applies to | Credit cards only | All cards except EBT |
| Debit | Priced separately | Included, not separate |
| Cap | 3% (2% CO) | 4% |
| Legal in all 50 states | No — six excluded | Yes |
| Registration | Required | Not required |
| Best for | Heavy debit volume; keep debit cheap | Cash-heavy; simplest setup |
Who this is actually right for
We'd rather tell you no than sell you the wrong thing.
Works well for
- Businesses with meaningful debit volume — keep debit cheap, let credit pay its own way
- B2B and professional services, where large credit-card invoices are the expensive ones
- Merchants operating entirely outside the six prohibited jurisdictions
- Owners who want the fee visible and itemized rather than baked into the price tag
Probably not right if
- You do business in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, or Puerto Rico
- You can't reliably manage signage, receipts, and staff training — the rules aren't optional
- Your customers are overwhelmingly credit, and a visible fee on nearly every sale would sting
- You want to be live next week — registration takes time
If any of those describe you, cash discount or straightforward interchange-plus pricing is likely the better answer. We'll say so.
Let's start with your statement.
Before we recommend surcharging or anything else, we read your current statement and show you, line by line, what you're paying — and what your credit vs. debit mix really looks like. It's free, takes about a day, and there's no obligation on the other side of it.
Impeccabyte, LLC is an authorized agent of Maverick Payments. Surcharge caps, prohibited jurisdictions, registration requirements, and disclosure rules are set by the card brands, state law, and our processing partner, and are subject to change. Figures shown are illustrative — your actual rates and savings depend on your volume, card mix, and current pricing.