Confronted with the question of how to be a better manager, a business person can read a bunch of management books, which may or may not be insightful—or they can actually look at how to make their business run smoothly. People are easier to manage when the work environment gives them the tools they need to do their job. This yet another reason why the decision to accept credit cards as a small business is so crucial. A piece of plastic can’t give you a better management style. What it can do is hone your operations in a way that allows you to look at how you manage from a brand-new perspective.
If you’re like most small businesses, you’ll hand off the less-crucial tasks to other employees, and save the tasks that can affect your bottom line for yourself. In practice, that typically means you do everything yourself. For the brave and trusting who do hand off tasks like inventorying or billing so someone else, this instantly creates an environment where micromanaging is natural. Managers hate to worry about the task being done right. With the proper technology, concerned business owners have an alternative to micromanaging. If you have an integrated solution at your point of sale, then not only is your small business able to accept credit cards, but you’re able to sync all payments and purchases to your inventory, enabling orders to be placed with your distributor automatically. You’ll never again have to yell at someone for messing up or forgetting an order.
When an employee is well trained in what to do, they are less likely to make mistakes, irritate customers, and need more training and management down the road. The proper technology at the point of sale is one solid way to do that. For restaurants in particular, having a solid point of sale system that makes it easy complete a customer’s order, add customizations, and accept any type of payment, ensures that customers get what they want, and employees have the tools they need to do their job without being closely managed. That means you are able to go about and busy yourself with other essential tasks, like meeting customers, gaining feedback, and ensuring that all aspects of the main floor of the restaurant are awesome.
Importantly, as all the processes of your businesses whirl around you, owners are more able to glean actionable insights from this information when processes are streamlined, automatized and digitized. As you learn more about how your business is operating, you will no longer be guessing. You’ll be a decision maker.
Beefing up your tech, and accepting credit cards as a small business opens yourself up to better management by doing just that—turning you into an informed manager. That’s an improvement practically everyone can get behind.
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A credit card surcharge is an additional fee added to a transaction when a patient chooses to pay with a credit card. The surcharge is intended to help offset the cost of credit card processing and applies only to eligible credit card transactions.
No. Debit card transactions may not be surcharged under any circumstances, even if the debit card is processed as a credit transaction or entered manually.
Yes. Credit card surcharges may not exceed the merchant’s actual cost of accepting credit cards and are capped at a maximum of 3% of the total transaction amount, in accordance with card-network rules and applicable law.
Yes. Card networks require clear and transparent disclosure of any credit card surcharge. Practices must notify patients through appropriate signage at the practice entrance, point of sale, and anywhere payments are accepted. If payments are accepted online, the surcharge must also be clearly disclosed on the practice’s website.
Yes. Some U.S. states and territories prohibit or restrict credit card surcharging. Practices are responsible for understanding and complying with their state’s specific requirements before implementing a surcharge.
No. While Moolah provides tools and general guidance to support credit card surcharging, compliance with all applicable laws and card-network rules is the responsibility of the merchant. Moolah does not provide legal advice and assumes no liability for a merchant’s compliance.
Most major credit card networks permit surcharging when done in accordance with their rules, but additional requirements or restrictions may apply. Practices should ensure they have completed all required network notifications and disclosures prior to enabling surcharging.
Failure to comply with surcharging rules may result in card-network fines, required refunds, or other enforcement actions. Practices should ensure they fully understand all applicable requirements before applying a surcharge.
Flex does not currently offer built-in support for credit card surcharging. If a practice chooses to enroll in a surcharge plan, payments would need to be processed through Moolah’s payment platform, which is designed to support surcharging and integrates directly with Open Dental.
If you are considering introducing a credit card surcharge for your patients, it is important to understand that there are specific rules and regulations that must be followed when enrolling in and operating under a surcharge plan.
This article provides a general overview of common surcharging requirements. This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is the responsibility of each merchant to review, understand, and comply with all applicable laws, card-network rules, and regulatory requirements, including notification timeframes, signage requirements, surcharge percentage limits, and jurisdictions where surcharging is prohibited.
If you are unsure about the laws or regulations applicable to your practice, you should consult with qualified legal counsel. Moolah assumes no liability for a merchant’s compliance or non-compliance with credit card surcharging rules or regulations.
Transparent Communication
Card networks, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express, require merchants to clearly and transparently disclose when a credit card surcharge is applied.
Practices must clearly notify patients of a credit card surcharge through appropriate signage placed at the practice entrance, at the point of sale or terminal, and anywhere payments are accepted. If payments are accepted online, surcharge disclosures must also be clearly visible on the practice’s website. All disclosures must inform patients that the surcharge applies only to credit card transactions.
Surcharge Limits
Credit card surcharges must comply with both card-network rules and applicable law. The surcharge amount may not exceed the merchant’s actual cost of accepting credit cards and may not exceed 3% of the total transaction amount.
Card-network rules cap credit card surcharges at 3%, meaning that if a merchant’s processing costs exceed this amount, the excess portion cannot be passed on to the patient.
Network and State Restrictions
The major credit card networks, such as Visa and Mastercard, impose specific requirements related to surcharge limits, advance notification, and disclosure.
In addition, several U.S. states and territories regulate or prohibit credit card surcharging. At the time of writing, credit card surcharging is prohibited in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico. Other states, including Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, and New York, impose restrictions on surcharge amounts or require specific disclosures.
If your practice operates in a state that restricts or prohibits credit card surcharging, you must fully understand and comply with those requirements before implementing a surcharge.
Debit card transactions may never be surcharged, even if the debit card is processed as a credit transaction.
Applicability
Credit card surcharges may be applied only to credit card transactions. Other payment types, including debit cards and alternative payment methods, are not eligible for surcharging.
Regulatory Compliance
Merchants are responsible for maintaining ongoing compliance with all applicable card-network and legal requirements. This includes meeting advance notification obligations, using compliant signage and disclosures, adhering to surcharge percentage limits, and respecting jurisdiction-specific restrictions.
By following these guidelines, dental practices can implement credit card surcharging in a way that aligns with card-network rules and promotes transparency with patients. Clear and upfront communication helps maintain patient trust and supports a positive payment experience.