Did you know that 48 states in the nation allow businesses to impose a surcharge on customers who use credit cards? Massachusetts is one of two states that prohibits this practice, and it is costing Bay State businesses thousands of dollars every year as swipe fees continue to rise.

NFIB testified in favor of several bills that would end the prohibition on credit card surtaxes in Massachusetts and would allow you to charge a convenience fee for customers opting to pay with cards. Some of the bills require business owners post signage and a breakdown of the fee on receipts notifying customers of the surcharge, while other bills simply struck the entire section of law. Either way, these proposals are a step in the right direction in helping small business recoup some of the exorbitant cost of credit card swipe fees.