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WASHINGTON (AFNS) — As of Jan. 27, merchants in the United States and U.S. Territories are permitted to impose a surcharge on any credit card transaction that uses a MasterCard or Visa branded card, which includes the Government Travel Charge Card, both for Individually Billed Accounts and Centrally Billed Accounts.
This surcharge is permitted to be charged in all states except California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.
While some merchants may elect not to charge this additional fee, those that do are required to notify customers before they make an actual purchase — at the store entrance and at the point of sale — or in an online environment, on the first page that references credit card brands. The surcharge will be included in the total transaction amount and will be listed separately on the sales receipt.
This new surcharge is an authorized a reimbursable expense while on official travel. The Joint Federal Travel Regulations and the Joint Travel Regulations have been updated accordingly, effective 27 January 2013. If a traveler is charged this surcharge, they should add it as a separate expense under the Non-Mileage Expense section of their voucher, ensuring that the additional surcharge is not also included in the total of the related expense. For additional information about this new surcharge, go to: http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/checkout_fees/index.html.
