Yes, they can - and that’s a relatively new thing. Can a merchant charge more (or add a fee) for using a credit card? So in practice, pretty much any merchant that takes plastic that has a minimum threshold sets it the same (and lower than $10) across all card types.
The American Express merchant agreement ( PDF) contains similar language. The MasterCard agreement also specifies that a merchant may not establish a different minimum for “MasterCard and another acceptance brand,” which basically translates to “if you want to take MasterCard, your minimum transaction threshold needs to be the same for every credit card user.” must apply equally to card types from all issuers - so a Signature card or a Gold card from Capital One or from Chase all face the same minimum.For both MasterCard and for Visa, the minimum purchase amount… According to both the Visa ( PDF) and MasterCard ( PDF) merchant agreements, a merchant may set a minimum transaction threshold for credit card purchases.
Can a merchant set a minimum purchase amount for credit card transactions? Six years ago, Consumerist answered your questions about these rules and others.īut since then, the law has changed, and so have the agreements the credit card companies have with the merchants who accept plastic. What needs signing, and what doesn’t? When can a store ask for ID? Are they allowed to charge different prices for cash and credit? But the scene isn’t just complicated for cardholders it’s complicated for the retailers that accept them, too. Credit cards come with a lot of fine print.