Jason Lavery faced a difficult decision last spring. He could raise the price of drinks and food at Lavery Brewing Co. or add a surcharge to all credit card payments. Like many other small business owners across the country, Lavery added a surcharge. Credit card customers now pay an additional 1.75% plus 20 cents. "We paid $40,000 in credit card fees in 2025," Lavery said. "Our operating margins were getting tighter, so the choices were to raise prices across the board or add the surcharge. We didn't th ...

This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter. Merchants should support a swipe-fee settlement with Visa and Mastercard because it gives them more flexibility to impose surcharges, according to plaintiffs in a 21-year-old lawsuit targeting Visa and Mastercard fees. A proposed settlement with the two largest card networks over interchange fees and card-acceptance rules presents an opportunity to educate consume ...