17 Apr Can stores have a minimum for a debit card purchase?

Q. A supermarket said it had a $5 minimum for me to use my debit card. Can they do that?
— Annoyed shopper

A. No.

Federal law says retailers can set a minimum of $10 for credit card purchases, but not for debit cards.

New Jersey law also does not permit minimums for debit card purchases.

Stores, though, do get around those rules by processing debit card purchases — for cards that have a Visa or Mastercard logo — as a credit card purchase.

Visa and Mastercard also have rules that don’t allow minimums, but unless you report a store to them, they’re not exactly checking up on any purchase.

You can report the store to the Division of Consumer Affairs.

Email your questions to .

This story was originally published in April 2026. 

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