Your options
There is no US code of conduct for card processing. Your agreement sets most of the terms, card network rules set some, and federal debit rules (Regulation II) give merchants a choice of debit network. Here is what you can ask for, in plain English.
Ask for interchange-plus and a full fee list
Interchange-plus pricing passes card network costs through at cost and adds a stated markup (a percent and a per-sale fee), so you can compare it with any quote. You can ask your processor to move you to it, and to send a full list of your fees.
If your check shows a flat-rate plan would cost less at your average sale size, ask for that instead.
The Visa small merchant rate
Visa has lower card rates for smaller businesses (up to $280,000 in Visa consumer credit sales over a 12-month period Visa sets). Whether you get them depends on your processor, so ask whether your account is enrolled.
On a flat or tiered plan, a lower network rate goes to your processor unless your price changes.
Debit routing
Federal debit rules (Regulation II) say each debit card must be able to run on at least two unaffiliated networks, and card issuers and networks may not stop a merchant from choosing which one to use. In practice your processor makes that choice for you. Ask your processor whether it sends your debit sales over the lowest-cost network. The cheapest network can differ by sale size.
On a flat rate, routing savings go to your processor, not to you.
12 CFR 235.7(b): “An issuer or payment card network shall not, directly or through any agent, processor, or licensed member of the network, by contract, requirement, condition, penalty, or otherwise, inhibit the ability of any person that accepts or honors debit cards for payments to direct the routing of electronic debit transactions for processing over any payment card network that may process such transactions.” Read the rule
Avoidable and extra fees
A PCI non-compliance fee usually stops once you complete your yearly PCI questionnaire. You can also ask your processor to remove annual, minimum or other account fees; many will if you ask, especially near renewal.
A fee increase
We know of no federal rule on notice of processing fee changes for businesses; your agreement usually sets the notice and whether you can leave without a fee. If the notice says card networks raised rates, ask which network fee changed, by how much and from what date. Visa and Mastercard publish their interchange rates; for other network fees, ask for the network notice your processor relied on.
Your agreement, renewal and early termination
Many agreements renew on their own unless you give notice by a set date, and some charge an early termination fee based on the months left. Ask for a copy of your agreement and the exact date and way to give notice. Some agreements also set the earliest date notice counts.
A terminal lease
A terminal lease with a leasing company is often a separate contract that you cannot cancel early, even if you change processors. Check its end date before you switch.
If you are thinking about surcharging
Surcharge rules differ by state and some are unsettled. Talk to a lawyer before you add a surcharge.
Card network rules, as the sources we checked report them:
- You can add a surcharge to credit cards only, never to debit cards (even when run without a PIN) or prepaid cards.
- Visa caps a credit surcharge at 3% and at your cost of accepting Visa credit.
- Mastercard caps it at your cost of accepting Mastercard credit, up to a published maximum (currently 4%).
- Tell your processor in writing at least 30 days before you start. Visa needs that notice to your processor. Mastercard needs 30 days' written notice to both your processor and Mastercard.
- Show the surcharge at the entrance, at checkout and on the receipt.
- American Express says a surcharge on the Card must be imposed equally on all other payment products, except cash, check and electronic funds transfer (Merchant Operating Guide, April 2026, section 3.2). For Discover, check with your processor.
Posting your card price and giving a discount for cash is a different program with its own display rules. A program that adds a 'service fee' or 'non-cash adjustment' at checkout to the posted price is usually treated as a surcharge, so the surcharge rules above apply to it.
Last checked October 20, 2026. Sources disagree on several states. Sources: California Civil Code section 1748.1, Colorado Revised Statutes section 5-2-212 (Title 5 compilation), Connecticut General Statutes section 42-133ff, Maine Revised Statutes Title 9-A section 8-509, Massachusetts General Laws chapter 140D section 28A, Minnesota Statutes section 325G.051, New Jersey attorney general guidance on credit card surcharges (2023), New York General Business Law section 518, Oklahoma Senate Bill 677 (2025, enrolled text of 14A O.S. section 2-211), Texas Senate Bill 560 (2017, enrolled text amending Business and Commerce Code chapter 604A), a 2026 summary of state surcharge laws (payments vendor), a 2026 surcharge compliance guide (point-of-sale vendor), a payments trade press report on state surcharge bans, Nevada Attorney General advice on credit card surcharges (2020), South Dakota consumer protection fast facts on credit card surcharges.
Alabama
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Alaska
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Arizona
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Arkansas
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
California
Rules here are unsettled and sources disagree. Talk to a lawyer before you add a surcharge.
The state code (Civil Code 1748.1) bans credit card surcharges. In 2018 the Ninth Circuit held that ban unconstitutional as applied to one pricing scheme (Italian Colors Restaurant v. Becerra), and the code section was not repealed. How far it can be enforced is unsettled.
The official sourceColorado
Sources report extra state rules here, such as a lower cap or set disclosure wording.
The statute allows a credit card surcharge of up to 2% of the transaction, or up to the merchant discount fee the seller pays, with set notice wording. It does not allow a surcharge on debit cards.
The official sourceConnecticut
The sources we checked report that this state's law prohibits credit card surcharges. See the statute linked below.
The official sourceDelaware
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
District of Columbia
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Florida
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Georgia
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Hawaii
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Idaho
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Illinois
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Indiana
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Iowa
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Kansas
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Kentucky
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Louisiana
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Sources report a state ban on debit card surcharges from August 1, 2026.
Maine
The sources we checked report that this state's law prohibits credit card surcharges. See the statute linked below.
The statute bans surcharges on credit and debit cards.
The statute covers debit cards as well as credit cards.
The official sourceMaryland
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Massachusetts
The sources we checked report that this state's law prohibits credit card surcharges. See the statute linked below.
The official sourceMichigan
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Minnesota
Sources report extra state rules here, such as a lower cap or set disclosure wording.
The statute says a credit card surcharge is allowed up to 5% of the purchase price, with oral and sign disclosure, and that a seller cannot surcharge its own store card.
The official sourceMississippi
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Missouri
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Montana
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Nebraska
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Nevada
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
We did not find a state surcharge statute. The state attorney general's 2020 advice says surcharges need signs at the entrance and checkout, a line on the receipt, and an amount no higher than the cost of accepting the card. The pages we found describe card network rules, not a state law.
New Hampshire
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
New Jersey
Sources report extra state rules here, such as a lower cap or set disclosure wording.
The attorney general's guidance says a credit card surcharge cannot be more than the seller's actual cost to process it, with sign and checkout disclosure. The link goes to the guidance, not the statute text.
The official sourceNew Mexico
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
New York
Sources report extra state rules here, such as a lower cap or set disclosure wording.
The statute says a seller must post the total credit price in dollars and cents, and the surcharge cannot be more than the card company charges the business.
The official sourceNorth Carolina
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
North Dakota
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Ohio
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Oklahoma
Sources report extra state rules here, such as a lower cap or set disclosure wording.
Since November 1, 2025 (SB 677) the statute allows a credit card surcharge of the lesser of 2% or your actual processing cost, with notice at the entrance and point of sale.
The official sourceOregon
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Pennsylvania
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Rhode Island
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
South Carolina
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
South Dakota
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
We did not find a state surcharge statute. The state consumer office describes surcharge terms from a card network settlement, not a state law.
Tennessee
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Texas
Rules here are unsettled and sources disagree. Talk to a lawyer before you add a surcharge.
The statute bans credit card surcharges. A federal case about it (Rowell v. Pettijohn) was sent back to the trial court in 2017, and we could not confirm how it ended.
Sources report a state ban on debit card surcharges.
The official sourceUtah
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Vermont
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Virginia
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Washington
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
West Virginia
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Wisconsin
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Wyoming
We did not find a state ban in the sources we checked. Card network rules still apply, and local rules can change.
Settlement watch
A proposed Visa and Mastercard settlement (preliminary approval June 9, 2026) would lower some credit rates and loosen surcharge and card acceptance rules. It is not final and not in force. We will update this page if it takes effect.
Complaints
There is no US regulator that resolves merchant processing disputes. If you think a sales practice was deceptive, you can report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or to your state attorney general.
This is information, not legal or financial advice.