Dual pricing
Keeps the mostup to —/yr
Customers who pay by card pay the card price, which covers processing. You net the cash price.
How dual pricing works
Credit card surcharging
Add 3% to credit cards. Never to debit.
Want to keep your posted prices exactly where they are? A surcharge adds 3% to credit card payments only, disclosed up front and shown on the receipt. Debit cards are detected automatically and never surcharged.
Summit Heating & AirInvoice #3318 · Paid on site
Furnace repair · blower motor
- Subtotal
- $1,250.00
- Credit card surcharge (3%)
- $37.50
Total · Visa credit •••• 4242$1,287.50
Approved
Surcharge applies to credit cards only.
You keep$1,250.00
Debit card?No surcharge, auto-detected
Compliance built in
Surcharging has rules. We handle them for you.
Done right, surcharging is simple and customers accept it. Done wrong, it creates chargebacks and complaints. Here’s what we set up before your first surcharged sale.
Credit cards only
Surcharges apply to credit cards only. Debit and prepaid cards are never surcharged, even when run as credit.
Capped at 3%
Card-brand rules cap the surcharge at 3%, and it can never exceed what it actually costs you to accept the card.
Card type detected automatically
Your terminal identifies the card and applies the surcharge only when it’s allowed. No judgment calls at checkout.
Disclosed up front
Notice at your entrance and at checkout, so customers know before they pay.
Its own line on the receipt
The surcharge is shown separately on every receipt, never buried in the total.
State rules checked
A few states restrict surcharging. We confirm your state before you start, and recommend dual pricing if it’s not a fit.
Not sure which one?
Surcharging vs. dual pricing
Both put the cost of card acceptance on the customer who chooses to pay by card. The difference is how much of the fee you keep.
| Surcharging | Dual pricing | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Adds up to 3% to credit card payments | Shows a cash price and a card price |
| Applies to | Credit cards only | Every card, credit and debit |
| Debit card payments | You still pay the processing fee | Covered by the card price |
| Your posted prices | Stay exactly the same | Cash and card price shown together |
| Share of fees you keep | Most (your credit card share) | Nearly all |
| State rules | Restricted in a few states | Broadly allowed when both prices are posted |
| Best for | Businesses that don’t want to change prices | Businesses that want to keep the most |
Savings calculator
What would a 3% credit surcharge keep for you?
Slide the credit share to see how your debit mix changes the result.
Your numbers
$5k$500k+
1.5%5%
Not sure? Total fees ÷ total card sales on your last statement. Most small businesses land between 2.9% and 3.5%.
All debitAll credit
Today you're paying about — a month —— a year — just to accept cards.
Surcharging
3% credit only—/yr
Debit cards can't be surcharged, so you'd still cover about —/mo in debit fees.
How surcharging worksLower rate
You absorb it—/yr
Saved for every 0.25% we cut from your rate. Send a statement and we'll show you your real number.
Get a statement reviewEstimates for illustration only. Results depend on your card mix, average ticket, pricing program, and state and card-brand rules. Surcharges are capped at 3% and at your actual cost of acceptance.
FAQ
Questions we hear every day
Don't see your question? Ask us directly — there's usually a solution, even for the exceptions.
Can I surcharge debit cards?
No. Card-brand rules and federal regulations prohibit surcharging debit and prepaid cards, even when a debit card is run as credit. Our terminals identify the card type automatically, so the surcharge is only ever applied to credit cards. If you want to cover the cost on every card, dual pricing is the better fit.
Is surcharging allowed in my state?
Surcharging is allowed in most states, but a few restrict or prohibit it, and the rules change from time to time. We check your state’s current rules before you start. If surcharging isn’t a fit where you operate, we’ll set you up with dual pricing instead — which accomplishes the same goal.
Why 3%?
Card-brand rules cap credit card surcharges at 3%, and the surcharge also can’t exceed what it actually costs you to accept the card. We set your program at a compliant rate, disclose it at the door and at checkout, and show it as its own line on every receipt.
What’s the difference between dual pricing and surcharging?
With dual pricing, you post two prices — a cash price and a card price — and the customer chooses. It applies to every card, credit or debit, and typically covers nearly all of your processing cost. With surcharging, you add a fee of up to 3% to credit card transactions only; debit cards are never surcharged, so you still cover the fees on debit. Dual pricing keeps the most. Surcharging keeps your sticker price unchanged.
Won’t my customers be upset?
In our experience, very few are. Customers have seen cash and card prices at the gas pump for decades. Most simply pay by card — and the ones who prefer to save a few dollars pay by cash or check. Either way, you keep your margin.
Keep your prices. Lose the fee.
Send us a recent processing statement — or just your monthly card volume — and we’ll show you, side by side, what dual pricing, surcharging, and a lower rate would put back in your pocket.