04/23/2025
Needing Assistance. Please reference attached photos… Hey everyone, Josh here. I’m looking to consult with someone who truly knows the laws/rules for a business to charge card processing fees back to the customer. As many of you know I haven’t been doing that at Woof Valley but the monthly card fees are adding up and eating us alive. I’ve spent hours upon hours researching the laws and if the way I’m understanding it is correct, then there are a huge number of businesses that are breaking the law by charging a % fee (usually 3%) when someone swipes their DEBIT card. From what I have read it is illegal to charge a surcharge on a debit card EVEN IF THE MERCHANT RUNS IT AS CREDIT. It’s still a debit card no matter how the merchant chooses to run it. From what I have also read is, that it is also illegal to try and “make money” on surcharges. Meaning if you use Square to process payments like we do, and Square only charges you 2.6%, then you CANNOT turn around and charge the customer 3%. I’m not looking to consult through comments or messages. If you know the laws enough to speak about it, PM me and let’s have a phone conversation tomorrow or at your convenience. I want to be sure I know what is 100% legal and what isn’t before I implement it. I’ve reached out to attorneys and accountants and still haven’t gotten a definitive answer from anyone. Thanks in advance.