With school out, customers leaving town for vacations, and the general lethargy that the season’s heat brings summer can be a challenging time for some retailers. Nevertheless, summer also brings with it a number of unique opportunities to engage clients and enhance your business’s local profile.
While customers may shy away from brick-and-mortar stores during the hot season, they flock to seasonal fairs, farmers’ markets, and outdoor music venues. These events provide an opportunity to gain exposure to new customers. Especially if you operate strictly online, such events can humanize your business, allowing your customers to put a face to the brand. Bear in mind that many customers generally prefer spending their hard-earned money at locally owned businesses if given the chance. What better way to demonstrate that you are a part of the community than to meet face to face? And utilizing the versatile and reliable Poynt POS will allow you to capture impulse buyers who may not have cash on hand.
Even a dearth of seasonal events in your community represents an exciting possibility. Seize the opportunity to draw crowds by creating something alluring and novel. Consider partnering with other local businesses to create a unique occasion. Maybe your bakery is struggling with that summer slump. Try teaming up with a local brewery to offer donut and beer pairings. Or maybe your nursery would be the perfect summer evening music venue for “guitars in the garden”. If you are worried about the logistics, having a Poynt POS makes it easy to set up and accept any payment type, so that your event keeps running smoothly.
Partnering with another business offers an opportunity for customer cross-pollination. Hosting social events also enhances your business’s status as a neighborhood cultural institution.
Pop-ups provide the perfect opportunity to tap into summer nostalgia by offering unique seasonal products. Summer is a time of bounty, delicious fruits and vegetables, vibrant colors, and civic events like the Fourth of July. Look for products that evoke this sentiment. If you are inclined to experiment, now is a good time with the smaller turnout. If the product or service is well received you can easily scale up for the autumn.
Do your best to stay positive. Think of any downtime as an opportunity to hone your skills and refine your operation. Take the time to increase the efficiency of your workflows through implementing new technologies, such as those offered by a Poynt POS. Keeping the ax sharp will make you all the more effective when activity picks up again.
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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.