Credit card processing in Illinois
Illinois is Chicago's dense restaurant and retail market plus a large downstate economy of manufacturing, agriculture and university towns. Chicago's own taxes and fees mean prices and receipts there often look different from the rest of the state.
The Illinois Department of Revenue lists the state sales tax rate on general merchandise as 6.25%; check whether local taxes also apply at each location.
From downstate farm and hardware stores to Chicago restaurants and bars: Illinois's business mix
Chicago carries finance, trading, healthcare and a restaurant and bar scene that runs late, alongside neighbourhood retail from the Loop to the outer wards. The suburbs add corporate campuses, distribution centres and suburban retail.
Downstate, Springfield holds state government, Peoria and Rockford have manufacturing roots, and Champaign-Urbana and other college towns run on students who pay almost entirely by tap. Farm towns across central Illinois deal with uneven, harvest-driven months.
What the law says about card fees in Illinois
Illinois has no credit card surcharge statute that we could confirm, so for suburban distributors in Illinois the card networks' rulebook is what applies: surcharge credit only, stay within cost and Visa's 3% cap, notify your acquirer a month ahead and post the fee.
Surcharge law roundup · information, not legal advice
Which pricing suits Chicago restaurants and bars?
Chicago restaurants with high volume and many business cards usually benefit most from interchange-plus pricing and tight downgrade control, since flat rates hide how much premium cards cost. Distribution and manufacturing firms should use Level 2 and Level 3 data and ACH. College-town cafes with tiny tickets need pricing that does not add a large fixed per-transaction fee, which can matter more than the percentage.
POS for suburban distributors, college-town cafes and more
- Chicago restaurants and bars
- Tab management, tip adjustment, kitchen display and online ordering, with tax tables set for city and county rates.
- Suburban distributors
- Invoicing with Level 2 and Level 3 data, customer portals and ACH.
- College-town cafes
- Fast tap-to-pay, small-ticket pricing and mobile ordering ahead.
- Downstate farm and hardware stores
- Customer accounts, SKU inventory and reliable countertop terminals.
Pick your city in Illinois
Send one statement. Every fee named, back, usually within 4 hours.
It is free, there is nothing to sign and nothing to cancel. We read your current merchant statement line by line, name every fee on it — including the ones buried in the fee schedule — work out your true effective rate, and send the written analysis back, usually within 4 hours. Do not want to wait? Call 1-888-705-7896 and we will read your statement with you on the call in about 5 minutes.
Where we work in Illinois
Chicago · Aurora · Naperville · Joliet · Rockford · Springfield · Elgin · Peoria · Champaign · Waukegan · Cicero · Bloomington · Arlington Heights · Evanston · Decatur · Schaumburg · Bolingbrook · Palatine · Skokie · Des Plaines · Orland Park · Tinley Park · Oak Lawn · Berwyn · Mount Prospect · Normal · Wheaton · Hoffman Estates · Oak Park · Downers Grove · Elmhurst · Glenview · DeKalb · Lombard · Moline · Buffalo Grove · Bartlett · Urbana · Quincy · Crystal Lake · Carol Stream · Streamwood · Romeoville · Rock Island · Hanover Park · Carpentersville · Wheeling · Park Ridge · Addison · Calumet City
Commercial corridors
Chicago
Michigan Avenue · State Street · Milwaukee Avenue · Clark Street · Division Street · Halsted Street · Randolph Street · Damen Avenue · Southport Avenue · Devon Avenue · Ashland Avenue · Lincoln Avenue · Wells Street · Rush Street · Fullerton Avenue
Evanston
Church Street · Davis Street · Central Street · Dempster Street
Naperville
Jefferson Avenue · Washington Street · Ogden Avenue
Springfield
Adams Street · Monroe Street · MacArthur Boulevard · Wabash Avenue
Illinois card processing FAQ
Illinois has no credit card surcharge statute that we could confirm, so for suburban distributors in Illinois the card networks' rulebook is what applies: surcharge credit only, stay within cost and Visa's 3% cap, notify your acquirer a month ahead and post the fee.
Card fees are a percentage of the full amount charged, including all sales taxes collected, so higher combined tax means a slightly higher fee per ticket.
Small tickets are hit hardest by fixed per-transaction fees. Compare the per-item cost as well as the percentage, and ask about small-ticket interchange programs.
All of it, from Joliet to Peoria. Chicago has its own page here. For downstate farm and hardware stores: Nothing requires a visit: analysis, applications and support all happen remotely.