What are the rules for credit card surcharging?

Surcharges are capped at 3% (and never above your actual cost of acceptance), apply to credit cards only — never debit or prepaid — and require advance notice to the card networks, signage at the entrance and register, and a separate line item on the receipt. Some states restrict or prohibit the practice.

What is the best alternative to surcharging customers?

Accepting crypto at the counter removes interchange from the transaction entirely, so there is no fee to surcharge. There is no cap, no network registration, no state-by-state restriction, and no extra line on the customer's receipt.

← NectarPay

A credit card surcharge alternative your customers won't resent

Surcharging works — right up until a regular sees "3% card fee" on their receipt. Before you roll one out, here is everything the program requires, and the alternative that removes the fee instead of forwarding it.

What a surcharge program requires

Capped at 3%

And never more than your actual cost of acceptance.

Credit cards only

Surcharging debit or prepaid cards is prohibited outright.

Advance notice

You must notify the card networks and your acquirer before you start.

Signage and receipts

Disclosure at the entrance, at the register, and as a receipt line item.

State restrictions

Several states restrict or ban surcharging; rules change with litigation.

Customer friction

A visible 3% add-on at checkout is the most common cause of abandoned baskets in surcharge rollouts.

The alternative: take the transaction off the card rails

A crypto payment terminal settles directly between the customer's wallet and yours. Visa and Mastercard are never involved, so there is no interchange, nothing to surcharge, and nothing to disclose. The customer pays the shelf price, you receive the shelf price, and confirmation lands in about three seconds.

No 3% cap, network registration, or state-by-state legal review.
No extra line item — the receipt shows the price the customer expected.
Chargebacks are impossible, so dispute fees disappear too.
A built-in rewards program gives customers a reason to choose the fee-free option.
Runs alongside your existing card terminal; nothing has to be replaced.

Stop passing the fee along

$499 one-time terminal. No percentage, no surcharge signage.

Order your terminal