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The law firm noted at the time that the same policy was in effect in several demanded the surcharge allowance
other states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, be included in the settlement. But the
Oklahoma and Texas. Many other states are contemplating adding surcharge National Retail Federation, which
bans, according to Rianda. represents the interests of retailers,
said the majority of merchants have
Rianda also noted that U.S. businesses rarely surcharge, even if they have the no intention of surcharging.
right to do so. "I think that merchants should be allowed to pass on the cost
of processing credit cards if they want to do so," he said. "Most merchants, I The NRF stated that the card brand
think, would not want to surcharge for competitive reasons, but they should at rules associated with surcharging
least have the option." He added that, regardless of card brand rules, state law make it prohibitive for merchants.
dictates whether surcharging is ultimately legal. The federation added that Visa and
MasterCard require each retailer
Surcharge-o-rama to have the same card acceptance
According to an Oct. 8, 2013, legal alert issued by the law firm Ballard Spahr LLP, policies in all its stores, which breeds
the federal ban on surcharging expired in 1984, but Visa Inc. and MasterCard confusion for regional or national
Worldwide continued the prohibition. However, in December 2012, the card enterprises that have store locations
brands changed their surcharging policies as a condition of the preliminary in no-surcharge states.
settlement in the $7.9 billion class-action lawsuit over alleged interchange
price fixing by the card companies. Among the other hindrances to
surcharging, the NRF cited the
card brands' policy that merchants
The following January, Visa and MasterCard implemented the new policy that
allows merchants to cover the costs of credit card transactions by charging up supply "detailed" surcharging
to 4 percent extra per such transaction. plans at least 30 days in advance of
implementation.
The repercussions from lifting the ban are unclear. In February 2013, the
Electronic Payments Coalition, a payments industry advocate, said merchants The EPC called the NRF's statements
false and misleading. It said Visa and
MasterCard have no rules preventing
merchants from surcharging credit
card transactions in states that do
not prohibit surcharging and that
merchants have sought to change
the brands' no-surcharge policy for
years.

EPI puts its

name on

Supercross

Cup 2013

alverton, N.Y.-based ISO
Electronic Payments Inc.
became the title sponsor for
C the Supercross Cup 2013, a
two-day cyclocross race and the old-
est professionally sanctioned event
of its kind in New York State. The
competition, which attracts nearly
400 national and international ath-
letes annually, is now officially titled
the Electronic Payments Supercross
Cup 2013.

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