Courtesy CFIB.com
As part of a class action lawsuit settlement, Visa and Mastercard have agreed to allow merchants to decide if they want to pass on the cost of accepting credit cards to their customers. Starting October 6, 2022, businesses will be able to charge an additional fee at the point of sale if a customer wishes to pay by credit card.
Unfortunately, due to consumer protection laws in Quebec, the option to surcharge will not be available to Quebec-based merchants.
Why surcharging matters
Credit card processing fees can be very difficult to track and come with a significant cost. Over the years, merchants have seen these costs rise, especially smaller merchants. Businesses should be allowed to explain to their customers why their prices increase and decide if they will pass this cost to their customers.
Until now, most businesses were not permitted to surcharge. Following a class action lawsuit, Visa and Mastercard are allowing businesses to pass along the cost of processing a credit card transaction to consumers.
Webinar TODAY! Tuesday, October 25 at 1:00pm EST: Credit card surcharging: does it make sense for your business?
- Why can merchants surcharge now?
- How do you begin?
- How do you talk about it with your customers?
- CFIB surcharging tools and resources
- Application deadline extended until December 30, 2022 for credit card class action settlement claims
Please note registration for this webinar is open only to Fitness Industry Canada (FIC) or CFIB members and requires a CFIB ID number. For FIC membership inquiries please contact Trisha Sarker at tsarker@ficdn.ca or visit https://ficdn.ca/. FIC members can also call the CFIB helpline 1-833-568-2342 if you do not have your CFIB ID number.
