$0 processing: how the card surcharge works in Florida

A surcharge moves the card fee from you to the guest. Done properly it is legal in Florida and it is the closest thing there is to not paying for processing. Done sloppily it is a chargeback waiting to happen.

Credit yes, debit no

The rule that catches people: you may surcharge credit cards. You may not surcharge debit or prepaid cards, and running a debit card as credit does not change what it is. A system that surcharges everything is not saving you money, it is building you a problem.

The signage

The guest has to know before they pay. That means a notice at the point of entry and at the point of sale, and the surcharge printed as its own line on the receipt, not folded into the total. We put the signage up on install day; it is a small laminated card, not a legal document.

The amount

The surcharge cannot be more than what processing actually costs you, and there is a ceiling set by the card networks. In practice this means one percentage, applied to credit cards only, which we set with you.

What it feels like at the counter

Less than owners expect. Guests who pay cash are unaffected, guests who pay debit are unaffected, and the credit card guests see a line on a receipt. The complaints, when they come, are almost always about a surprise — which is what the signage exists to prevent.

What we do

On our register and kiosk the rate is 3.25% + 15¢. Turn the surcharge on and it becomes $0 processing for you on credit cards, with debit and prepaid staying at the standard rate. The system knows the difference between the card types by itself, so nobody at the counter has to decide.

The honest caveat

This is how it works, not legal advice. If you have a lawyer, show them the receipt and the signage before you switch it on — it takes them five minutes and it is the cheapest five minutes in the project.