Alabama
Alabama credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 4%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
See the lawCredit card surcharge laws
Surcharging rules for all 50 U.S. states — what's legal, what's capped, and how to disclose fees.
Alaska
Alaska credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 4%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Arizona
Arizona credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 4%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Arkansas
Arkansas credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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California
California credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Colorado
Colorado allows 2% credit card surcharges with strict disclosure rules. Learn compliance requirements and penalties under SB 21-091.
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Connecticut
Connecticut bans all credit card surcharges. Learn what's legal, penalties up to $500 per violation, and how to report violations.
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Delaware
Delaware credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Florida
Florida credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Georgia
Georgia credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Hawaii
Hawaii credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Idaho
Idaho credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Illinois
Illinois permits credit card surcharges with disclosure requirements. New 2025 law bans interchange fees on taxes and tips. Learn compliance rules.
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Indiana
Indiana credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Iowa
Iowa credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Kansas
Kansas allows credit card surcharges as of January 2025. Learn the disclosure requirements, processing cost limits, and compliance rules.
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Kentucky
Kentucky credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 3%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Louisiana
Louisiana credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 4%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Maine
Maine credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Maryland
Maryland credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 4%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Massachusetts
Massachusetts prohibits all credit card surcharges. Learn about the strict ban, legal alternatives like cash discounts, and enforcement.
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Michigan
Michigan allows credit card surcharges with disclosure requirements. Learn signage rules, gas station requirements, and compliance guidelines.
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Minnesota
Minnesota credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Mississippi
Mississippi credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Missouri
Missouri credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Montana
Montana credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 3%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Nebraska
Learn Nebraska's credit card surcharge laws. Businesses can legally add fees up to 4% with proper disclosure. Get compliance tips and FAQs.
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Nevada
Nevada credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 5%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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New Hampshire
New Hampshire credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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New Jersey
New Jersey limits credit card surcharges to actual processing costs. Learn the 2023 law requirements, disclosure rules, and penalties.
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New Mexico
New Mexico credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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New York
New York credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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North Carolina
North Carolina allows credit card surcharges up to 4%. Learn current laws, pending HB 13 changes, disclosure requirements, and compliance tips.
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North Dakota
North Dakota credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal up to 4%, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Ohio
Ohio credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma's surcharge ban ends November 1, 2025. Learn current cash discount options, new 2% surcharge limits, and compliance requirements.
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Oregon
Oregon credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Rhode Island
Rhode Island credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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South Carolina
South Carolina credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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South Dakota
South Dakota credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Tennessee
Tennessee credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Texas
Texas bans credit card surcharges but federal courts ruled key provisions unconstitutional. Learn what's legal for Texas businesses in 2025.
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Utah
Utah credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Vermont
Vermont credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Virginia
Virginia credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Washington
Washington credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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West Virginia
West Virginia credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
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Wyoming
Wyoming credit card surcharge laws for 2026 — what's legal, merchant disclosure rules, restaurant + online compliance, and alternatives.
See the lawFAQs
Common questions about credit card surcharging.
How does credit card surcharging work on Nickel?
On Nickel, credit card processing is 2.9% flat. You can set a global default to absorb the full fee, pass it through to your customer, or share a percentage. You can also override that setting on any individual invoice. Surcharges apply to credit cards only. Card network rules don't allow surcharging debit cards. When you pass the fee through, your customer sees the surcharge amount before they pay and can choose to pay by ACH instead (which is free for both of you). This is how most Nickel customers eliminate processing costs: make ACH the easy free option, pass through the card fee, and let the customer decide.
Does Nickel handle the compliance and disclosure requirements for me?
Partly. Nickel automatically discloses the surcharge on the payment link before your customer confirms the transaction, so the point-of-sale disclosure is built in. Your customer sees the exact fee breakdown and can switch to free ACH if they prefer. You're still responsible for meeting card network requirements (some networks require registration or advance notice before you start surcharging, so check current rules) and making sure surcharging is legal in the states where you do business — the state-by-state guide above covers that. But the customer-facing disclosure piece is handled on every Nickel payment link.
What's the difference between a surcharge and a convenience fee?
A surcharge is an additional fee added to a credit card payment to cover processing costs. It's only allowed on credit cards, not debit. A convenience fee is charged when a customer uses a non-standard payment method (for example, paying a utility bill by card instead of by check). Convenience fees can apply to any payment method, but they have their own rules: Visa requires the fee be a flat amount (not a percentage) and only on transactions where the standard payment channel is different. Most B2B businesses use surcharging, not convenience fees, because invoice payments by card are a standard channel in that context.
How much can I save by passing through the credit card fee?
If your business processes $500,000 a year in credit card payments at 2.9%, that's $14,500 in processing fees. Pass the fee through and let your customers choose ACH (which is free on Nickel) and most of that goes away. In practice, most Nickel customers find that once there's a free, easy ACH option, the majority of their customers switch. Between free ACH and card fee pass-through, most businesses on Nickel bring their processing costs close to $0. You can run your numbers in the savings calculator.
What if my customer is in a state that doesn't allow surcharging?
A handful of states and territories restrict or cap credit card surcharges, and the rules change periodically. The state-by-state guide above is kept current, so check it for the states where your customers are. You're responsible for knowing the rules where you do business. If you're not sure, the safest approach is to encourage ACH instead — it's free for both sides, legal everywhere, and avoids the surcharging question entirely.
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