Introduction

Credit card surcharging allows pet-care businesses to offset the cost of credit card processing fees by applying a small, configurable percentage fee to eligible credit card transactions at checkout. Surcharges appear as a separate line item so pet parents can review the total before completing payment, and customers can always avoid the fee by choosing to pay with a debit card or another non-credit payment method.

Surcharging is regulated at the state and card network level. Rates are capped at 3% in accordance with Visa and Mastercard rules, and some states restrict or prohibit surcharging. Always consult legal counsel to confirm eligibility and ensure compliance in your jurisdiction before enabling this feature.

 Notice:  Surcharging is only available to U.S.-based merchants.

Gingr Payments Surcharging

Surcharging is available now for all U.S. merchants using Gingr Payments. Once enabled, Gingr automatically applies your configured surcharge rate (0–3%) to eligible credit card transactions across all supported payment channels, including in-person front desk payments, the Pet Parent Portal, online bookings, and recurring memberships. Debit cards, prepaid cards, and gift cards are never surcharged — Gingr detects the card type automatically.

When a transaction is refunded, the surcharge is refunded as well, fully or proportionally based on the amount returned.

To get started, see the Credit Card Surcharging Topic Outline under Gingr Payments.

CardConnect Surcharging

Surcharging support for CardConnect merchants is coming soon. We'll update this article with links and setup instructions as soon as it becomes available.

Related Resources

• Gingr Payments Feature Overview
• CardConnect Feature Overview
• Convenience Fees Topic Outline
• Credit Card Processing Feature Overview