Credit Card Surcharge, Service Fee, etc.

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These are charges passed on to the customer for the purpose of recovering fees charged to you by your credit card processor.  

It is your responsibility to research and determine if you are complying with industry regulations and state and federal law.

This is a quote from Shift4, "Shift4 does not support or endorse any type of credit card surcharging." 

Most State governments provide methods for citizens to report improperly issued surcharges. 
For example, the state of Florida Attorney General website states this "If you are charged an undisclosed fee you can report it to our office by calling 1-866-9NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226) or at www.MyFloridaLegal.com. You may also report it to your credit card company."

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It's up to each Execu/Tech Systems, Inc. software customer to research and understand the legal requirements for charging guests credit card service fees. Failure to comply can result in massive fines. Credit Card Surcharges can be legal, but getting it wrong can be expensive. You should consider charging a generic "service fee" to all guests rather than risking financial and legal trouble of improper surcharges.

If you have an online booking engine these fees must be clearly shown to the customer. These disclosures must also be clearly shown on all booking channels like Expedia, etc. 

From Visa. 

Merchant Credit Surcharging

From Mastercard.

Merchant Surcharge Rules​

From the Florida Attorney General

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: CREDIT CARD SURCHARGES

You should also consider the impact a Credit Card Surcharge will have on the image of your business. These charges are usually seen as negative by the consumer and will likely reflect poorly on your business. Consider other methods to cover operating costs like raising prices to compensate.

Here are some things you must understand to avoid massive fines. It is your responsibility to research and determine if you are complying with industry regulations and state and federal law.

Quote from Worldpay:

Merchants MUST register with Visa and Mastercard and notify their processor within a minimum of 30
days prior to assessing a surcharge for any card brand. Discover and American Express do not require
registration.

Quotes from Visa:

Does Visa enforce its rules on surcharges to ensure they are applied correctly?

• Yes, Visa is actively enforcing its surcharge policy per the Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Services Rules
  and state laws where permitted. Visa receives numerous consumer complaints and have a yearly mystery
  shopping by outside auditors. The Acquirers of merchants who are caught violating Visa’s rules, face
  potential fines. Moreover, the acquirer of any merchant identified as surcharging improperly may be
  assessed an immediate US $1,000 fine.

Can I assess a surcharge on purchases made using both credit and debit card?

• No. The ability to surcharge only applies to purchases made with a credit card and, even then, only under
  certain conditions. U.S. merchants cannot surcharge purchases made using a Visa debit card or prepaid card.

Can I assess a surcharge on debit card transactions where the debit cardholder chooses “credit” on the point of sale terminal?

• No. The cardholder is still using a Visa debit card. The option to select a ‘credit or debit’ refers to the
  cardholder selecting either a signature-based transaction or a PIN-based transaction.

It is your responsibility to research and determine if you are complying with industry regulations and state and federal law.​​