How to Add a Credit-Card Surcharge or Cash Discount with Stripe (2026)
Stripe supports surcharging for eligible US merchants via its surcharge APIs. What Stripe calculates for you, what state law still requires, and the integration pattern.
Last verified: 2026-08 · Educational reference, not legal advice
Stripe’s surcharge feature targets online and API-driven checkout. Because it is developer-facing, the compliance burden (notice, disclosure, signage for in-person) still sits with you.
What Stripe handles for you
For eligible merchants, Stripe computes the surcharge amount, caps it at the network maximum, and excludes debit cards. The fee is presented in the checkout and recorded on the charge. Stripe does not decide whether your state permits surcharging.
What you still must do
- Confirm your state allows surcharging (banned: CT, MA, PR; contested: CA, TX, ME; restricted: 7 states). Online sellers are still bound by the customer’s state of residence in some interpretations — verify.
- Enable the surcharge feature per Stripe’s current documentation and set the percentage at or below the network cap.
- Register the surcharge with the relevant card networks / your acquirer and provide the ~30-day notice.
- Disclose the surcharge clearly before the payment step in your checkout UI (online disclosure is required).
- Ensure the receipt / confirmation email shows the surcharge as a separate line, and test the full flow.
For e-commerce, the applicable state rule can depend on the cardholder’s billing state. If you sell nationwide, a cash-discount model removes the ambiguity.
Worried about multi-state online sales?Read the online surcharge guide →
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
No. Stripe’s surcharge feature excludes debit cards to comply with the Durbin Amendment, which bans debit surcharges nationwide.
No. Surcharging is banned in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico, and legally contested in California, Texas, and Maine. Stripe enables the feature for eligible merchants but does not certify state legality.
Often. You can present a higher card price and a lower cash/debit price in checkout without touching the surcharge feature, and it is legal in every state.
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.