MerchantLayer
No state statuteLast verified: 2026-08-25

Is credit card surcharging legal in Rhode Island?

Yes, as far as state law goes. We found no Rhode Island statute that specifically addresses credit card surcharging. Rhode Island appears to have no statute regulating merchant credit card surcharges. Several payments-industry guides cite a 2021 bill, S.0925, as though it were law; the NFIB Legal Center reports that this bill does not appear to have passed, so its requirements are not in effect. Until we can confirm a codified section, treat Rhode Island as a card-network-rules state and disclose the surcharge clearly before checkout.

Under review

We could not confirm this entry against a Rhode Island statute or a state agency publication. Everything below is written as our current reading of secondary sources, not as a settled statement of Rhode Island law. Verify with counsel before you rely on it.

How much you can charge

We found no Rhode Island cap. No state cap. The binding limits are the card networks: Visa caps a credit card surcharge at the lower of your merchant discount rate or 3% (reduced from 4% effective 15 April 2023) and Mastercard caps it at 4%. Surcharging debit cards is prohibited nationwide.

Disclosure requirements

No state-specific disclosure statute located. Card-network rules still require the surcharge to be disclosed before checkout, itemised as its own line on the receipt, and notified to your acquirer at least 30 days in advance.

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 Rhode Island 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