Display both prices clearly
Present a cash price and a card price through supported signage, menus, invoices, checkout screens and receipts.
Customer-Facing Pricing Programs
Choose a pricing program customers can understand.
Selective Pay compares standard pricing, dual pricing, cash discount and credit-card surcharge structures around your card mix, states, sales channels and technology—then helps configure the disclosures, card-type controls, receipts and employee process required for a supportable rollout.
- Program structure reviewed before equipment is changed
- Debit and prepaid treatment separated from credit
- Signage, checkout and receipt presentation tested
Reward lower-cost payment methods
Structure a genuine discount from the standard price for cash or another approved payment method.
Apply only where permitted
Configure an eligible credit-card surcharge with the required notices, caps, disclosures and receipt detail.
Similar Goal. Different Structures.
The name of the program does not determine whether the setup is correct.
Pricing programs are often marketed as interchangeable, but the advertised price, transaction adjustment, eligible card types and customer disclosures can be materially different. We first identify the actual structure being offered.
Dual pricing
The customer sees a cash price and a card price before choosing how to pay. The POS, menu, invoice or checkout must support a clear and consistent presentation.
Cash discount
The standard price is reduced when the customer uses an eligible lower-cost payment method. The discount must be genuine and represented accurately.
Credit-card surcharge
A disclosed amount is added to eligible credit-card transactions. Debit and prepaid cards must be excluded, and applicable network, acquirer and legal requirements must be followed.
Compare the Operating Models
Start with price presentation and card-type handling—not a promise to eliminate fees.
The right structure depends on how prices are advertised, where payments are accepted, which cards customers use and whether the existing POS or gateway can apply the program correctly.
Dual pricing and cash discount
These models begin with how the standard, cash and card prices are presented to the customer.
- Advertised, displayed and invoiced price review
- Cash, check, ACH and card payment-method treatment
- Menu, shelf, proposal, website and checkout presentation
- Receipt detail and employee explanation
Credit-card surcharge
This model requires reliable card-type identification and configuration that excludes ineligible transactions.
- Eligible credit transactions separated from debit and prepaid
- Network and acquirer notification or registration steps
- Surcharge amount reviewed against applicable limits
- Entry, checkout and receipt disclosures configured
Convenience fees are separate: A convenience fee is generally tied to an eligible alternate payment channel and has its own requirements. It should not be used as another name for a surcharge, cash discount or dual-pricing program.
A Controlled Rollout
Build the program around the rules, economics and customer experience.
We review the merchant environment before changing the terminal or enabling an adjustment. The goal is a program that operates consistently across employees, locations, card types and sales channels.
Review the business and jurisdictions
Document legal entities, locations, states, industries, payment channels and any restrictions that may affect program availability.
Measure the real processing economics
Analyze card mix, debit usage, average ticket, channel, effective cost and customer behavior before estimating the program impact.
Confirm technology capability
Verify that the POS, terminal, gateway, ecommerce checkout and processor can identify card type and present the selected program correctly.
Prepare disclosures and registration
Complete applicable notices, registrations, signs, website language, checkout displays and receipt configuration before activation.
Train, test and monitor
Test credit, debit, prepaid, refunds, tips, partial approvals and remote transactions, then train employees on a consistent customer explanation.
Where Program Design Matters
Different industries need different customer messaging, technology and transaction controls.
Clear in-store price presentation
Coordinate shelf, counter, menu, proposal and receipt pricing with the terminal or POS configuration.
Invoice and remote-payment workflows
Evaluate card, ACH, check, payment-link and virtual-terminal options without creating inconsistent customer treatment.
Tips, tabs and final amounts
Review how the program interacts with gratuities, incremental authorizations, final settlement and guest-facing receipts.
Consistent rules across channels
Align locations, websites, departments and employee practices while accounting for channel-specific technology requirements.
What We Review
A pricing-program review looks beyond the advertised percentage.
We evaluate the entire customer-facing and back-office process so the selected structure can be configured, explained, reconciled and supported.
Applicable requirements
Card-network, acquirer, processor and state considerations based on the merchant, locations and payment channels.
Credit, debit and prepaid
Card-type identification, transaction routing and controls intended to prevent an adjustment from being applied to an ineligible card.
Cost and customer mix
Average ticket, processing expense, debit share, rewards-card use, refunds, tips and likely customer response.
POS and gateway capability
Supported program type, device certification, checkout logic, ecommerce behavior, receipt detail and software limitations.
Disclosures and employee process
Signs, menus, estimates, invoices, websites, checkout screens, receipts and consistent customer-service language.
Reconciliation and support
Gross sales, adjustments, refunds, deposits, fees, reporting, exception handling and escalation procedures.
Compliance note: Program availability and requirements vary by jurisdiction, card brand, acquirer, processor, transaction channel and merchant setup. Selective Pay confirms the supported payment configuration and coordinates with the applicable processing partners; merchants should obtain legal advice when needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What merchants usually ask before launching a customer-facing pricing program.
What is the difference between dual pricing, cash discount and a surcharge?
Dual pricing displays separate cash and card prices. A cash discount reduces the standard price when an eligible lower-cost payment method is used. A surcharge adds a disclosed amount to eligible credit-card transactions. Each structure requires different pricing presentation, technology and disclosures.
Can a surcharge be applied to debit or prepaid cards?
No. A credit-card surcharge program must exclude debit and prepaid transactions, including when a debit card is run without a PIN. The system must correctly identify the card type and apply the approved program only to eligible credit transactions.
Is a cash discount simply a fee added to card payments?
No. A cash discount is a reduction from the standard price for an eligible payment method. Adding a fee to the displayed price and calling it a cash discount does not by itself make the structure a cash-discount program.
Can we decide customer by customer whether to add the fee?
A program should be applied consistently according to the disclosed payment method, approved configuration and applicable requirements. It should not be imposed arbitrarily on selected customers.
Can the same program be used in person and online?
Possibly, but the gateway, ecommerce checkout and in-person POS must each support the intended structure and disclosures. Channel-specific requirements and customer presentation should be reviewed before activation.
What do you need for an initial pricing-program review?
We start with recent processing statements, locations and states, monthly volume, average ticket, credit-versus-debit mix, current advertised prices, POS or gateway details, payment channels, refund and tipping workflows, and the program currently being considered.
Choose the Structure Before the Hardware
Compare the economics, requirements and customer experience before launching a pricing program.
Selective Pay will review your statements, card mix, locations, payment channels and technology before recommending dual pricing, cash discount, surcharge or standard processing.