Credit card surcharge laws in Puerto Rico (2026)
Banned
Do not surcharge credit or debit cards in Puerto Rico and do not run cash-discount or dual-pricing programs there: Act 150-2008 as amended by Act 152-2013 bans any surcharge for using a valid payment method, the 2013 amendment removed the cash-discount allowance, and a 2016 Court of Appeals decision confirmed two prices by payment method are prohibited; violation is a misdemeanor (fine up to $500 and/or up to six months in jail).
The details
| Cap | Not applicable (ban). |
|---|---|
| Disclosure | Not applicable (ban). Cash-discount / dual-pricing displays are also prohibited per the 2013 amendment and the 2016 appellate decision. |
| Debit and prepaid | Banned: Art. 1 (10 L.P.R.A. § 11) covers 'una tarjeta de crédito o débito' and 'cualquier medio de pago válido'; prepaid reached by the 'any valid means of payment' language (INFERENCE). |
| Statute | Ley Núm. 150 de 4 de agosto de 2008, según enmendada por Ley Núm. 152 de 13 de diciembre de 2013; 10 L.P.R.A. §§ 11, 13, 14 |
| Court decision | Asociación de Detallistas de Gasolina de Puerto Rico, Inc. v. ELA (DACO), KLAN201501976 (Tribunal de Apelaciones, Sept. 30, 2016): Legislature 'claramente pretendió eliminar la posibilidad que se pudiese imponer dos precios diferentes para un mismo bien o servicio basado únicamente en el método de pago'; reversed the trial court's ruling that cash discounts were allowed. Any later Supreme Court review UNVERIFIED. |
| Last change | 2013-12-13 (Act 152-2013 extended the ban to debit and all valid payment methods and repealed the cash-discount article); no later amendment in the OGP compilation (rev. 2024-04-15) |
| Source check | Verified: the statute was read in the Government of Puerto Rico's law library, which is not the official compilation but matches the amending act word for word; the court decision was read on the Judicial Branch site |
| Checked | Oct 7, 2026 |
How this entry was checked
A commonly cited 'Act 150-2019' is wrong; the law is Act 150-2008. Penalty: 'multa no mayor de quinientos (500) dólares o con pena de cárcel no mayor de seis (6) meses, o ambas.' Pending 2026 bills P. de la C. 1216 (no processing fee on the IVU sales-tax portion) and P. de la C. 672 ($10 card minimum) are from a secondary source (NotiCel) and do not change the ban. DACO is the enforcing agency. Section last reviewed 2026-10-06.
What this means for each program in Puerto Rico
| Surcharging | Not available. Puerto Rico prohibits surcharges; do not run one here. |
|---|---|
| Cash discounting | Not available in Puerto Rico. See the summary above. |
| Dual pricing | Not available in Puerto Rico. |
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
- Ley Núm. 150 de 4 de agosto de 2008, según enmendada por Ley Núm. 152 de 13 de diciembre de 2013; 10 L.P.R.A. §§ 11, 13, 14
- Asociación de Detallistas de Gasolina de Puerto Rico, Inc. v. ELA (DACO), KLAN201501976 (Tribunal de Apelaciones, Sept. 30, 2016): Legislature 'claramente pretendió eliminar la posibilidad que se pudiese imponer dos precios diferentes para un mismo bien o servicio basado únicamente en el método de pago'; reversed the trial court's ruling that cash discounts were allowed. Any later Supreme Court review UNVERIFIED.
Free rate review
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Get a free rate reviewThis 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.