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RestrictedLast verified: 2026-08-25

Is credit card surcharging legal in Georgia?

Usually yes, with conditions. Georgia allows a credit card surcharge but attaches rules you have to meet. Georgia allows credit card surcharges but the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division treats them as restricted: the surcharge may not exceed what the merchant pays to accept the card, and it must be disclosed at the point of entry, at the point of sale and on the receipt. Georgia separately regulates convenience fees on electronic payments at O.C.G.A. § 13-1-15, which caps those at the merchant's actual cost. Failing to disclose clearly can be pursued as deceptive advertising.

The statute

Citation: O.C.G.A. § 13-1-15 (convenience fees); Attorney General consumer guidance on surcharges

We have not reproduced operative text here because we could not confirm a clean verbatim quote against the official source. Follow the citation and the source links below.

How much you can charge

Cost-of-acceptance cap in practice: the Attorney General states the surcharge cannot exceed what the merchant pays to accept the card, generally two to three percent. Card-network ceilings (Visa 3%, Mastercard 4%) also apply.

Disclosure requirements

Post notice at the point of entry, disclose the exact surcharge amount at the point of sale, and itemise it on the customer's receipt. For an online store, the checkout page is the point of sale.

Not legal advice

This page is a research summary for merchants, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Surcharge rules change, they interact with card-network rules and federal law, and they can turn on facts specific to your business. Consult licensed counsel in Georgia before you implement or change a surcharge.

Putting this into practice on Shopify

Rules like these only help if your checkout can actually enforce them, including on Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Shopify surcharge guideSee FeeLayer