From Los Angeles and San Diego to San Francisco and Sacramento, California has some of the strictest rules in the country on how a card fee can be charged and shown. We show you exactly what you pay, set up a program that fits California law, and help you lower your cost. No contracts, no cancellation fees.
California Civil Code 1748.1 still says a retailer may not add a surcharge for paying by credit card. In 2018 a federal appeals court found the ban unconstitutional, but only as applied to the merchants who brought the case (Italian Colors Restaurant v. Becerra). For everyone else the statute is still on the books, so a surcharge program here carries real legal risk. A discount for paying with cash or another non-credit method is allowed, as long as it is offered to every customer.
California's honest pricing law (SB 478, Civil Code 1770(a)(29)) requires most advertised prices to include every mandatory fee except government taxes and shipping. The Attorney General's guidance says a credit card fee generally does not have to be in the advertised price if the customer can avoid it by paying another way. Restaurants have their own path: a fee is allowed if it is shown clearly wherever prices appear.
Under California Labor Code 351, a business that lets customers tip by card must pay the employee the full tip. The card processing fee on that tip cannot be deducted. That matters most for restaurants, salons and anyone else whose tips run through the terminal.
Because surcharging is a risk here, we set up Dual Pricing as a true cash discount: the regular price is what a card customer pays, and customers paying cash get the discount. Prices are shown the way California requires, and tips go to your staff in full. If transparent interchange-plus pricing is the better fit for your business, we will say so.
Check any state in our surcharge checker. Rules change, so we confirm the current position before configuring anything. This is general information, not legal advice.
Send one recent statement for a free statement review. We find your true effective rate, name every fee, and show where it can come down. Savings are estimates based on your own statement.
Tips and price display hit these businesses hardest in California.
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