Compliance & rules
39 guides written so a business owner can act on them, not so a processor looks good.
Should You Decline Premium Credit Cards?
If the settlement gets final approval, accepting every Visa or Mastercard credit card would become a choice. Your statement shows whether declining premium cards is worth it.
8 min read Compliance & rulesCash Discount vs Surcharge: What Happens to Debit
Two legal ways to offset card costs handle debit cards in opposite ways. Your own mix of debit and credit decides which one fits.
6 min read Compliance & rulesSurcharging in Several States: One Policy or Many?
A surcharge that is fine in one store can be against the law in the next state. Start from the strictest rule and work location by location.
6 min read Compliance & rulesIllinois Tip and Tax Interchange Appeal
Illinois passed a law to stop interchange on the tip and tax part of a card sale. A federal court blocked most of it, and the state is appealing. Here is what that means for a restaurant or shop paying fees today.
7 min read Compliance & rulesSurcharging Premium Cards Under the Card Settlement
If the settlement gets final approval, you could add a fee on premium and commercial cards instead of every credit card. Being allowed to is not the same as it being a good idea.
6 min read Compliance & rulesIs Surcharging Legal in Texas? Credit, Debit & Dual Pricing
Texas is the state where the law books and the courts disagree. Here is what each Texas rule actually says, what the 2018 court ruling did and did not change, and the safest way to pass on card costs.
11 min read Compliance & rulesAustralia Banned Card Surcharges: What to Learn
Australia ended card surcharging on October 1. Rules in the US and Canada did not change, but the reasons behind the ban are worth knowing if you add a card fee today.
6 min read Compliance & rulesVisa-Mastercard Settlement Payouts Pass $631 Million
Money from the $5.5 billion card fee settlement is reaching merchants in stages. Most of the fund has not been paid out yet, and the claim deadline has passed.
7 min read Compliance & rulesIs Dual Pricing Legal in Louisiana? What Act 751 Changed
Giving cash customers a discount is legal in Louisiana. Since August 1, 2026, charging debit card customers anything extra is not, and that is where many dual pricing setups need a second look.
9 min read Compliance & rulesNew Swipe Fee Lawsuit Against Visa and Mastercard
A new proposed class action over card fees was filed on September 30, 2026. These are allegations, not findings, and nothing changes at your counter today.
6 min read Compliance & rulesIs Your Terminal Surcharging Debit Cards? How to Check
Louisiana's new law is a reminder for every state: a surcharge belongs on credit cards only.
6 min read Compliance & rulesSurcharge, Cash Discount or Convenience Fee: The Rules
Three ways to recover card costs, three sets of rules. Pick the one that fits, then follow it exactly.
8 min read Compliance & rulesSales Tax on Credit Card Surcharges: State Guidance
A surcharge can be legal and still change your sales tax. Here is what four state revenue departments say, in their own words.
8 min read Compliance & rulesMerchant Category Codes (MCC): What Merchants Should Know
A four-digit code on every card sale tells the networks and the issuer what kind of business you are. Here is how it is assigned, in Visa's own rules.
8 min read Compliance & rulesCanada's Card Industry Code of Conduct: Your Rights
Before you sign with a processor in Canada, know what the federal Code says it must show you, tell you and let you do.
9 min read Compliance & rulesCredit Card Surcharging in Canada: Rules by Province
Surcharging is allowed across Canada except Quebec, within a 2.4% cap and strict notice and disclosure rules. Here is what applies, province by province.
9 min read Compliance & rulesPuerto Rico Credit Card Surcharge Law (Law 150-2008)
Puerto Rico bans card surcharges, and since 2013 its law no longer says merchants may offer cash discounts. A 2025 federal appeals ruling left that in place.
7 min read Compliance & rulesFlorida Credit Card Surcharge Law (Fla. Stat. 501.0117)
Florida's surcharge ban is still printed in the statutes, but a federal appeals court struck it down in 2015. Here is what that means in practice.
7 min read Compliance & rulesFTC Fee Rule: Card Surcharges for Hotels and Ticket Sellers
Hotels, short-term rentals and ticket sellers have a federal total-price rule on top of state surcharge law. Whether a card fee goes in the advertised price depends on whether customers can avoid it.
7 min read Compliance & rulesKansas Credit Card Surcharge Law (K.S.A. 16a-2-403)
Kansas allows a credit card surcharge only if you disclose the amount clearly before the sale. The statute sets no percentage cap, but card network rules do.
7 min read Compliance & rulesMinnesota Credit Card Surcharge Law (Minn. Stat. 325G.051)
Minnesota lets sellers surcharge credit card payments up to 5% of the purchase price, with notice that depends on how you sell. Card network caps are lower.
7 min read Compliance & rulesMaine Credit Card Surcharge Law (9-A M.R.S. 8-509)
Maine bans sellers from surcharging credit and debit card payments, but a discount from the regular price is not a surcharge.
8 min read Compliance & rulesOklahoma Credit Card Surcharge Law (14A O.S. 2-211, SB 677)
Since November 1, 2025, Oklahoma allows credit card surcharges capped at 2% or your actual processing cost, whichever is less, with posted and verbal notice.
9 min read Compliance & rulesNew Jersey Credit Card Surcharge Law (N.J.S.A. 56:8-156.1)
New Jersey allows credit card surcharges, but caps them at your actual processing cost and requires the amount to be disclosed before the customer is charged.
8 min read Compliance & rulesMassachusetts Credit Card Surcharge Law (c. 140D, s. 28A)
Massachusetts bans credit card surcharges, but a cash discount offered to everyone and clearly disclosed is allowed.
8 min read Compliance & rulesConnecticut Credit Card Surcharge Law (C.G.S. 42-133ff)
Connecticut bans surcharges on any payment method, but lets you offer a posted discount for cash, check or debit.
10 min read Compliance & rulesColorado Credit Card Surcharge Law (C.R.S. 5-2-212)
Colorado allows credit card surcharges, with a lower cap than Visa and sign wording written into the statute.
7 min read Compliance & rulesCalifornia Credit Card Surcharge Law and SB 478
California's surcharge ban is still on the books, a court limited its enforcement, and a newer hidden-fee law governs how card fees are advertised.
7 min read Compliance & rulesNew York Credit Card Surcharge Law (GBL 518)
New York allows a credit card surcharge, but only if the higher card price is posted before the customer pays.
7 min read Compliance & rulesSurcharge Signage and Disclosure Rules at the Point of Sale
A surcharge can be legal and still break the rules because the notice is in the wrong place or leaves out the amount.
10 min read Compliance & rulesRefund Policies: What the Card Rules Require You to Disclose
You may set the policy. The rules decide how and when you must show it.
7 min read Compliance & rulesIf You Suspect a Card Data Breach: What to Do First
Contain the damage, keep the evidence, and bring in your payment provider and counsel before you tell anyone else.
8 min read Compliance & rulesLevel II and III Card Data: How B2B Interchange Works
Business card sales are priced by program. What the public Visa documents do and do not say about enhanced data is narrower than the industry usually implies.
9 min read Compliance & rulesInterac Debit: Rules Canadian Merchants Should Understand
Interchange is zero, so the whole cost is your provider's margin — which is exactly why it is negotiable.
8 min read Compliance & rulesQuebec: Payment Rules Every Merchant Should Know
Quebec is not a translation of the rest of Canada. It is a different rulebook.
9 min read Compliance & rulesCash Discount vs Surcharging: Rules by State and Province
The label on the program does not decide how it is treated. How the price is posted and what the customer is charged at the register does.
10 min read Compliance & rulesCredit Card Surcharge Laws by State (2026 Guide)
Card network rules set the floor. State law decides whether you can surcharge at all, and how you have to show it.
11 min read Compliance & rulesSAQ A vs SAQ A-EP vs SAQ D: Which One Applies to You?
The questionnaire follows how card data moves through your checkout, not the size of your business.
7 min read Compliance & rulesPCI Compliance Basics for Small Businesses
PCI SSC writes the standard. Your acquirer and the card brands decide how you prove you meet it.
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