How to Enable a Credit-Card Surcharge or Cash Discount in Lightspeed (2026)
Lightspeed (Retail and Restaurant) supports surcharge and cash-discount configuration. What it automates, what state law still requires, and the setup pattern.
Last verified: 2026-08 · Educational reference, not legal advice
Lightspeed settings differ between Retail and Restaurant editions — confirm the exact menu in Lightspeed’s help center. The legal requirements below are the same regardless of edition.
What Lightspeed handles for you
Lightspeed surcharge settings apply the fee at the register, cap it at the network maximum, and should exclude debit cards. Cash-discount mode posts a higher card price and a lower cash price. Receipt line-item handling depends on the configuration.
What you still must do
- Confirm your state’s surcharge status with the per-state tool (banned: CT, MA, PR; contested: CA, TX, ME; restricted: 7 states).
- Enable the surcharge or cash-discount setting in Lightspeed and set the percentage at or below the network cap.
- Give your acquirer / networks about 30 days’ notice.
- Post entrance and checkout signage; confirm the receipt shows the surcharge as a separate line.
- Run a test sale and inspect the printed receipt.
A cash-discount program is the universal fallback: legal in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, and unaffected by the contested-state litigation.
Check your state before enabling.Open the decision tool →
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Surcharge configurations are expected to exclude debit cards under the Durbin Amendment, but confirm the setting and test a debit-as-credit sale before relying on it.
Yes. Lightspeed supports a dual-price / cash-discount mode, which is legal in every state.
Yes — at the lower of your actual processing cost or the network ceiling (3% Visa / 4% Mastercard).
Educational content, not legal advice. Cashbizly is an independent educational resource. Nothing here is personalized legal advice and it does not replace a licensed attorney or your state’s Attorney General.
Our state-by-state status reflects the consensus of published 2025–2026 compliance guides (card-network rules, LawPay, Stax, NCSL) as of the “last verified” date on each page. Surcharge law changes frequently and is actively litigated — always confirm current figures with your state Attorney General or a professional. Read our full disclaimer.