Surcharging FAQs

Frequently asked questions about surcharging

GET SURCHARGING: Enable surcharging on your EFTPOS terminal. Call 0800 338 767 (option 3) to talk to Customer Services or contact us here.

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What is surcharging and how does it work?
How much should I surcharge?
Which transactions can I surcharge?
Can I apply a surcharge to a Manual/MOTO transaction?
Can I turn surcharging on and off?
Can I just surcharge contactless transactions?
If I refund the transaction, do I have to include the surcharge?
Do I need to tell my customers about the surcharge?
Is there anything else I need to do?
Can I make changes once the solution is set up?

What is surcharging and how does it work?

If you have surcharging enabled your present card screen will always display a message that says 'Surcharge May Apply'.

When a customer selects the credit option during a purchase transaction or taps a smart device to make a payment, an additional prompt appears notifying them a surcharge is going to be applied*. If the customer accepts the surcharge the transaction proceeds and the terminal will automatically apply the surcharge for you.

*The surcharge prompt can be removed for contactless transactions.

How much should I surcharge?

The surcharge % rate should be no more than the additional cost of accepting that payment method. In most cases, this will be the Merchant Service Fee charged by your bank.

Which transactions can I surcharge?

In New Zealand, merchants can legally pass on the cost of their Merchant Service Fees (or MSF) for accepting certain payment methods to the cardholder at the point of purchase. This includes payments made using Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, AMEX, and JCB cards and mobile wallets including payWave (Visa), Tap & Go (Mastercard), Apple Pay and Google Pay.

If a customer swipes or inserts their card and chooses 'Credit', or taps their contactless card or device, the transaction will contribute to your MSF and therefore be eligible for surcharging. If the cardholder inserts or swipes their EFTPOS or scheme card and chooses ‘Cheque’ or ‘Savings’, the transaction is free for you to process and therefore not eligible for surcharging.

Can I apply a surcharge to a Manual/MOTO transaction?

A surcharge can only be applied in instances where all of the following conditions can be met:

The Cardholder is informed of the fee before completion of the transaction;
The Cardholder can be informed of the rate, amount or method of calculation of the fee at the time of purchase and;
The Cardholder has the opportunity to cancel the transaction once the fee has been disclosed.

Can I turn surcharging on and off?

Once enabled on your device, you cannot disable surcharging on a transaction-by-transaction basis (except for MOTO transactions). When you set up your surcharge solution you can apply 'rules' to your surcharge triggers, however:

Set a maximum and minimum purchase $ value
Set a maximum and minimum surcharge $ amount
Choose which cards/schemes you surcharge

Click here to learn about MOTO Surcharge Override which enables you to apply a surcharge to your manual/MOTO transactions selectively.

Can I just surcharge contactless transactions?

Surcharging cannot be configured to apply to just contactless transactions. It can be set up for contact & contactless transactions, or contact transactions only.

If I refund the transaction, do I have to include the surcharge?

Refunding the surcharge amount is at your discretion. However, where you receive an MSF credit for refunds subject to a surcharge we recommend refunding the surcharge amount.

Do I need to tell my customers about the surcharge?

You must ensure the surcharge is clearly disclosed to your customers prior to the completion of the transaction. You must display notices around your physical premises, as well as next to your Point of Sale, in a minimum of Arial 10-point font, disclosing that you will apply a surcharge.

In the absence of a physical point of sale, such notices or signs must be displayed prominently during an Internet order transaction or communicated clearly in a telephone order, in each case prior to the transaction being processed.

NOTE: You must not describe the surcharge as applied by a card scheme, by Eftpos New Zealand or by a third-party financial institution.

Is there anything else I need to do?

The Commerce Commission oversees guidelines that govern surcharging in New Zealand, established under the Retail Payment System Act 2022. Learn more about your Merchant Obligations if you choose to apply a surcharge here.

Can I make changes once the solution is set up?

We’ll help you configure your solution to ensure it’s just right for your business when we set it up with you, but if you’d like to make a change once it’s already set up we’ll happily do so over the phone – simply call 0800 EFTPOS.