Credit card surcharge laws in Washington (2026)
Allowed, card-network rules only
You may surcharge credit cards in Washington under card-network rules only; no state statute bans, caps or sets a disclosure format for merchant surcharges, and the RCW 19.200.010 that trackers cite is a receipt-truncation law, not a surcharge rule.
The details
| Cap | None in state law (network caps only). |
|---|---|
| Disclosure | No surcharge-specific or total-price statute; Consumer Protection Act, RCW 19.86.020, general unfair/deceptive standard. (Wholesale only: RCW 66.28.270(2) lets beer/wine/spirits distributors pass card fees to on-premises licensees if voluntary, shown as a separate invoice line item, calculated the same way for all customers, and not exceeding the distributor's aggregate monthly card fees.) |
| Debit and prepaid | Not addressed by statute (network rules bar debit/prepaid surcharges). |
| Statute | No statute on credit card surcharges found |
| Court decision | None found. AG consumer blog post of Sept. 5, 2008 says stores 'can't raise [the price] for credit' but cites only 2008-era Visa/Mastercard rules, not any statute (stale). |
| Source check | Verified on the official site for the sections read; the absence of a surcharge statute rests on secondary sources |
| Checked | Oct 7, 2026 |
How this entry was checked
RCW 19.200.010 (read): 'No person that accepts credit or debit cards ... shall print more than the last five digits of the card account number or print the card expiration date on a credit or debit card receipt.' Bills not enacted: ESHB 1870 (2013-14, surcharge disclosure; passed House 68-29, died in Senate); HB 1530 (2025-26, would let state-regulated businesses charge up to 3% with a disclosed no-cost option; in committee as of 2026-10-07); HB 1623 (2025-26, no processing-fee deductions from tips; in Rules). No statewide all-in pricing law found; 2025 total-price bills were ticketing-only and not enacted (from a secondary source). Seattle rental junk-fee ordinance CB 121254 eff. 2027-07-01 covers leases only (from a secondary source).
What this means for each program in Washington
| Surcharging | Allowed under the card-network rules below. No state cap or disclosure rule beyond those was found. |
|---|---|
| Cash discounting | Permitted under the card-network rules. The posted price is the card price and cash pays less; every card, debit included, pays the posted price. |
| Dual pricing | Treated like a cash discount in practice (our reading; no Washington statute addresses dual pricing): the card price shown first with the cash price beside it, every card pays the card price, cash pays the cash 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
- No statute on credit card surcharges found. Source read: app.leg.wa.gov
- AG consumer blog post of Sept. 5, 2008 says stores 'can't raise [the price] for credit' but cites only 2008-era Visa/Mastercard rules, not any statute (stale).
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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.