What is Surcharging?

A Surcharge, which is also referred to as a checkout fee and sometimes called Cash Discounting, is a fee that is applied to a credit card transaction and passed on to the consumer. The purpose of a Surcharge is to pass the cost of the credit card transaction on to the consumer in a fully disclosed and compliant manner. Because retailers incur higher costs for accepting credit cards Surcharging has become a very popular method of offsetting those fees and encouraging customers to use debit cards or cash.

Some things to know

Chip technology has three major benefits over the older, magnetic strip technology.

1. Surcharging is for credit cards only, debit cards, which carry a much lower fee for acceptance, are not eligible for surcharging.
2. Some processors only support card-present surcharging and some can support both card present and card not present/e-commerce. Transparent can support both.
3. The surcharge amount is clearly disclosed on the invoice/receipt to the consumer and signage is required in retail locations.
4. Specific equipment is required for Surcharging. Transparent can offer this equipment free or can help you check if your equipment is compatible
5. The surcharge amount is clearly disclosed on the invoice/receipt to the consumer and signage is required in retail locations.Surcharging is generally accepted by consumers, especially in the past year with the stress that has been put on businesses

Merchants cannot be charged more than 4% for Surcharging, so be aware. Transparent charges 3.7%, click here for details on our Surcharging program.

To Speak to one of our Sales Representatives regarding Surcharging please fill out the form or call 1-833-519-9649. You can also sign up for Transparent Surcharging by clicking here . With Transparent there are no contracts, sign up fees, hidden fees, or cancellation fees.