Pass the credit card fee to the card, the regulated way.
A surcharge adds the cost of credit card acceptance to credit transactions only. Washington allows it, with rules: posted disclosure, network caps, and never on debit. We configure all of it so you don't have to think about it.
Get a free rate analysisHow this actually works
Surcharging works differently from dual pricing, and the difference matters. You keep one posted price. When a customer pays with a credit card, a disclosed percentage is added to the transaction to cover the cost of credit acceptance. Debit cards, cash and checks pay the posted price with nothing added, because the card networks prohibit surcharging debit, full stop.
The rules are specific and worth getting right. The surcharge can't exceed the network cap or your actual cost of acceptance. Disclosure has to be posted at the entrance and the point of sale, and the amount has to appear on the receipt. Run correctly, it's a standard, accepted practice, especially in B2B. Run sloppily, it generates chargebacks and customer complaints. Our setup handles the caps, the signage and the receipt format on day one.
The honest part: surcharging only moves credit card cost. If half your volume is debit, half your fee problem stays. That's why the first thing we check is your card mix, and why we'll tell you plainly when dual pricing fits your business better. For invoice-heavy and B2B businesses, where credit cards dominate, surcharging is often the cleanest answer.
A B2B month, in dollars
Illustrative at a typical rate and card mix. Debit cannot be surcharged, so its cost remains; that's exactly the trade the free analysis quantifies with your real mix before recommending this over dual pricing.
Getting set up
We check your card mix
Surcharging only applies to credit. If much of your volume is debit, we'll tell you straight and usually point you to dual pricing instead.
We set the disclosure and the cap
Required signage, receipt language and the network cap, configured on your free terminal.
Credit fees stop being yours
Credit customers cover the credit cost. Debit runs normally. Your statement shrinks.
Surcharging is the right tool for the right mix. When your volume is mostly credit, it quietly removes the biggest line on your statement while keeping one posted price. When your mix is debit-heavy, we'll say so and point you to dual pricing instead. Knowing the difference is what you have a broker for.
- B2B and invoice-heavy businesses where credit cards dominate
- Professional services with large average tickets
- Owners who prefer one posted price with a disclosed credit surcharge
The three models, side by side
NWPB offers three ways to handle card fees. The free analysis tells you which one wins with your real numbers.
Dual pricing
Cash price and card price posted side by side. The customer picks, you keep 100%.
Best when most sales happen at a counter or table and you want fees gone entirely.
Surcharging
The card cost is added to credit card transactions only, with disclosure and caps.
Best when most of your volume is credit cards, like B2B and professional services.
Interchange plus
You absorb the fees, but pay true wholesale cost plus one small visible markup.
Best when you prefer one posted price and want the lowest possible absorbed cost.
Fair questions
Is surcharging allowed in Washington?
Yes, with conditions: clear posted disclosure, a capped rate, and credit cards only. We set up all three correctly.
Why can't I surcharge debit cards?
Network rules prohibit surcharges on debit and prepaid cards, even when the customer runs them as credit. That's why your card mix decides whether this program or dual pricing wins.
What's the maximum surcharge?
The networks cap it, and it can never exceed your actual cost of acceptance. We configure the cap on the terminal so it's impossible to get wrong at the register.
Will B2B customers accept it?
Surcharging is common and expected in B2B. Most business customers pay by card for the points and accept the disclosed cost, or switch to ACH, which costs you almost nothing. Either way you win.
What shows up on the customer's receipt?
The surcharge appears as its own disclosed line with the amount, exactly as the rules require. No mystery fees, no rounding games.
Surcharge or dual pricing, which is right for me?
Mostly credit volume favors surcharging. Mixed or debit-heavy volume favors dual pricing. The free analysis answers it with your real numbers, not a guess.
What does setup cost?
Nothing. Free terminal, signage and configuration, no long contract.