Surcharging Credit Card Payments 101

Cut Processing Costs with Legal, Compliant Credit Card Surcharging

Credit card processing fees can quickly eat into a business’s bottom line—especially for high-volume or service-based industries. With Centralized Pay’s surcharging program, businesses can now legally pass credit card fees to customers who choose to pay with plastic, helping reduce or even eliminate monthly processing costs. It's a smart, compliant way to protect your margins without sacrificing payment convenience.

What Is Credit Card Surcharging—and How Does It Work?

Surcharging allows merchants to add a small fee (typically up to 3%) to credit card transactions only, offsetting the interchange and processor costs associated with accepting cards. Centralized Pay ensures that all surcharges are 100% compliant with state laws and card brand rules, with built-in transparency and disclosures for customers. The result? You save on fees, stay compliant, and maintain a professional customer experience.

Who Should Consider Surcharging?

Surcharging is ideal for professional services, healthcare, contractors, auto repair shops, and B2B businesses—anyone dealing with high-ticket invoices or thin margins. Many customers are already used to seeing convenience fees and are happy to choose another payment method like debit, ACH, or cash to avoid the surcharge. With Centralized Pay, setup is fast, reporting is simple, and your business starts saving immediately. Let us help you keep more of what you earn.