Credit Card Surcharge, Service Fee, etc.
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. |
- 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."
- 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.
- You should also consider the impact a Credit Card Surcharge will have on the image of your business. In some areas these charges are normal and expected while in others they may be as negative by the consumer. You might consider other methods to cover operating costs like raising prices to compensate.
Here is some important information to help you avoid massive fines. It is your responsibility to research and determine if you are complying with industry regulations and state and federal law:
- From Visa: Merchant Credit Surcharging
- From Mastercard: Merchant Surcharge Rules
- From the Florida Attorney General: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF: CREDIT CARD SURCHARGES
- Quote from Shift4: "Shift4 does not support or endorse any type of credit card surcharging."
- Quote from Worldpay: "Merchants MUST register with Visa and Mastercard and notify their processor within a minimum of 30days 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.
See also:
POS Store Record
POS Payment Records
Hotel Charge Codes
Hotel Payment Codes
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