A. Think of it this way: Dual pricing shows two prices upfront (card price and cash price). Surcharging adds a percentage fee at checkout for credit cards. Convenience fees charge a flat amount for alternative payment channels like online or phone. Service fees are for government, utilities, and education only. Each option reduces or eliminates your processing costs—just in different ways.

A. Dual pricing. It’s legal in all 50 states and 100% card brand compliant. Surcharging is prohibited in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico. Convenience fees and service fees are legal nationwide, but service fees only apply to government, utilities, and higher education institutions. If you want the simplest legal path forward, dual pricing is your answer.

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A. Service fees are exclusively for government agencies (tax, fines, court costs, etc.), utilities (bill payments) and higher education institutions (tuition payments). If that’s you, this is your best option—it delivers true zero-cost processing. Your organization receives the invoice amount due, and IntelliPay collects the service fee, pays all processing costs, and manages everything for you.

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A. Most non-government or utility businesses choose between dual pricing and surcharging. Dual pricing works everywhere and typically generates less customer pushback because it’s framed as offering a discount for cash. Surcharging is simpler to explain (just a percentage added to credit cards) but only works in 45 states. Convenience fees are an option if you’re adding an alternative payment channel—like adding online payments when you normally accept in-person only.

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A. Dual pricing shows both prices before checkout—customers choose card or cash. A $100 item might show as $104 with card or $100 with cash. Surcharging shows one price and adds a fee at checkout only for credit cards. Dual pricing feels like giving customers a choice and offering savings. Surcharging feels like adding a fee. Both eliminate processing costs, but dual pricing typically gets better customer acceptance

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A. Convenience fees work when you’re offering an alternative payment method that’s genuinely more convenient for customers. Classic example: you normally accept in-person payments, but you’re adding online or phone payments. The fee must be flat (like $3.50, not a percentage) and must genuinely provide convenience. It’s less common than dual pricing or surcharging but perfect for specific situations

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A.  It varies by your transaction mix, industry and other factors;  but businesses processing significant credit card volume can save thousands monthly. A business doing $50,000 in monthly credit card sales at a 2.5% effective rate pays about $1,250 in processing fees. With dual pricing or surcharging, you could eliminate most or all of that cost.

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A.  Consider: your state’s laws (surcharging restrictions), your customer base (will they accept it?), your competition (are others doing this?), your transaction channels (in-person, online, phone), your business type (retail, professional services, government), and your transaction mix (credit vs. debit vs. cash). Our consultants evaluate all these factors and recommend the best fit.

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A.  Most businesses find customers adapt quickly, especially when the program is clearly communicated and competitors are doing the same. Dual pricing typically gets the smoothest reception because customers feel empowered to choose. Many merchants report minimal customer complaints after the first few weeks. The key is clear signage, staff training, and positioning it as offering customers choices.

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A. Yes. Your needs may change, or you may want to test different approaches. IntelliPay’s platform is flexible—you can adjust your fee program. That said, it’s better to choose carefully upfront to avoid customer confusion from frequent changes. Let’s get it right the first time.

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A.  It can. If you operate in states where surcharging is prohibited (California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico), you’d need to use dual pricing, convenience fees, or skip fee-based programs in those locations. Many multi-state businesses use dual pricing because it works everywhere. Our team will review your locations and recommend the cleanest approach.

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A. In highly competitive markets, customer perception matters more. Check if competitors use fee-based programs—if they do, customers already expect it. If you’re first, dual pricing often works best because it frames the conversation around customer choice and savings rather than adding fees. We’ll help you navigate competitive considerations.

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A.  Look at your monthly credit card processing fees—they’re likely one of your largest expenses after payroll. If you’re paying $1,000+ monthly in processing fees, a fee-based program could save you $10,000+ annually. See also our comparison chart below.

That said, the real question isn’t “is it worth it?” but “which option fits my business best?” Let’s run the numbers together.

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