Credit card surcharge laws in Connecticut (2026)
Banned
You cannot surcharge any payment method in Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. 42-133ff: 'No person may impose a surcharge on any transaction'); the only lawful structure is a posted discount for paying by cash, check or debit.
The details
| Cap | Not applicable; surcharges banned. |
|---|---|
| Disclosure | A cash/check/debit discount is allowed only with a clear and conspicuous notice posted on the premises, displayed on the website or app before an online transaction completes, and given verbally for phone orders (42-133ff(c)(1)). Minimum-purchase requirements must be disclosed the same way. |
| Debit and prepaid | Debit is inside the ban (any 'method of payment') and is an expressly permitted discount category. |
| Statute | Conn. Gen. Stat. 42-133ff |
| Last change | P.A. 22-104 rewrote the section effective 2022-05-24; P.A. 24-142 technical amendment effective 2024-06-06 |
| Source check | Verified on the official site |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 |
How this entry was checked
Statute read on cga.ct.gov (General Statutes revised to 2025-01-01; 2026 Supplement shows no change). 'Surcharge' means any additional charge or fee that increases the total for the privilege of using a particular method of payment. Violation is a CUTPA unfair or deceptive practice; Commissioner of Consumer Protection may add a civil penalty up to $500 per violation. Government payees are carved out. 2025 SB 922 and HB 5153 died in committee. Dept. of Consumer Protection FAQ (2024-08-28) confirms the ban covers any fee tied to the method of payment.
What this means for each program in Connecticut
| Surcharging | Not available. Connecticut prohibits surcharges; do not run one here. |
|---|---|
| Cash discounting | Permitted. The posted price is the card price and cash pays less. Connecticut law speaks to discounts; see the Disclosure row above and the statute before setting the program. |
| Dual pricing | Treated like a cash discount in practice (our reading; the statute does not use the term), so Connecticut's discount rules apply: the card price shown first with the cash price beside it, and cash pays the cash price. Check the statute for which payment types must get the lower price. |
Card-network rules apply everywhere a surcharge is allowed
- Credit cards only. Never debit or prepaid, even when the customer presses "credit."
- Capped at 3% and never more than your own cost of accepting credit cards.
- Disclosed at the entrance and at the register, and printed as its own line on the receipt.
- Your processor (acquirer) gets written notice at least 30 days before you start.
Source: Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules, April 2026 edition, sections 5.5.1.5 to 5.5.1.9. Mastercard's rules are comparable; its current rulebook text was not verified for this guide.
Sources
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Get my fit checkThis guide is general information, not legal advice. Each entry was checked against the official statute, regulation, or court decision linked on the page, as of the date shown, by Cardeva, LLC. Laws change, legislatures are in session, and court rulings can alter the practical status of a statute that remains on the books. Before starting any surcharge, cash-discount, or dual-pricing program, confirm the rules for your state and your payment types with your processor and your own attorney. Any program Cardeva sets up starts only after your processor approves it in writing; rely on that approval and your own attorney, not this page. Nothing here is a guarantee of any outcome. See our Terms of Use. Think something has changed? Use the contact form or call (612) 250-6132.