09 Oct Can a store charge a fee when I use my debit card?

Q. If I pay with my debit card at a store, can they charge a service fee?
— Consumer

A. Credit card surcharges are annoying, and they can get costly.

The surcharges are legal for credit cards — passing on the cost of processing the payments to the consumer — and last year, New Jersey passed a new law that prohibits businesses from tacking on extra fees where they would profit off the charges.

The key to your question is what happens to debit cards.

The surcharges are not legal on debit cards, but there’s a way businesses get around this.

Most debit cards have a Visa or Mastercard logo and can be processed as a credit card. That’s how they do it.

You can file a complaint with Consumer Affairs, but you’re not likely to have success because if the business is processing the transaction as credit, they’re not breaking the law.

You can file a complaint online or by calling (800) 242-5846.

Email your questions to .

This story was originally published in October 2024.

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