Feature request - surcharges

[mikesee]

When will it be possible to configure surcharges in Square?

I see some old discussion topics (2 years) saying it is on the roadmap.

There are several reasons why we need surcharges but the two big ones for me:

1. Apply a credit card surcharge to all card transactions

2. Apply a Sunday or public holiday surcharge. This is pretty essential in Australia due to the higher wage costs.

Needs to be automated and rules-based.

[#2]

Hi Sellers! 👋

Just jumping in here to share some exciting news about automatic surcharging!

We're thrilled to announce that Square’s Automatic Card Surcharges Beta Program is now open to all eligible Australian Sellers! This much-anticipated feature allows you to seamlessly pass on processing fees for card payments directly to your customers.

Getting started is easy. Eligible Sellers can now activate and manage one automatic surcharge directly from their online Square Dashboard. Once set up, the surcharge will be automatically applied when a customer pays with a card from:

- Square Point of Sale

- Square Restaurants POS or Square Retail POS apps on compatible iOS devices, Android devices, Square Terminal, and Square Register

To learn how to set up your automatic surcharge, visit Get Started with Service Charges Beta. 

For questions or feedback on this new experience, please join the Card Surcharges Group in the Beta Seller Community.

We're eager to hear your thoughts and experiences with this new feature. Feel free to drop your comments below!

[#3]

EDIT (July 2022): We've started to roll out Service Charges (AKA Surcharges) in Australia, which you can read more about here. The first iteration supports:

• The Square Point of Sale app
• Manually applied fixed ($) or variable (%) surcharges
  
  

In future iterations of Service Charges we hope to support:

• More Square products (eg Square for Restaurants, Square for Retail, Invoices etc)
• Automated service charges, so you won't need to manually add it

---------------

Hey @mikesee,

I'm sorry to say that I don't have an update on surcharges right now.

We're still tracking feedback on this and it's a popular request from Australian sellers. For now we recommend building surcharging into the overall price of your goods as you might other operating expenses, or you can manually calculate a surcharge into the overall cost of a given transaction.

If you would like to pass on credit card processing charges to your customers, you can use the following to calculate what you would charge.

For transactions put through a Square Reader at 1.9%:

Transaction amount divided by 0.981

e.g. $100 / 0.981 = $101.94 - you'd add $1.94 as a 1.9% surcharge.

For “Card not Present” transactions at 2.2%:

Transaction amount divided by 0.978

E.g. $100 / 0.978 = $102.25 - you'd add $2.25 as a 2.2% surcharge.

For transactions put through Square Terminal at 1.6%:

Transaction amount divided by 0.984

e.g. $100 / 0.984 = $101.63 - you'd add $1.63 as a 1.6% surcharge.

Why Wouldn’t I Just Add 1.9% or 2.2%?

Square’s card processing fees are based on the overall transaction amount, so if you’re adding $1.90 to a $100 transaction, the transaction becomes $101.90, not $100. Using the above formulas accounts for this small change to the overall fee on transactions if you’re adding a surcharge

Should you decide to apply a surcharge, it is your responsibility adhere to Australian regulations as set out by the ACCC.

[dimo10]

So there are a few ways to add a surcharge.

1. Create surcharge and add manually for each transaction

2. Create a tax called "Card Surcharge" and have it automatically add to every transaction. Just have to remove it from Cash transactions.

3. Join the Beta testers group for Card Surcharge and have it automatically added to only the Card transactions processed. FYI this has been working flawlessly since we set it up.

[BK96]

@Arie judging from the fact this post is from 2 years ago with 18 pages of responses, it’s kind of insulting to receive that as a generic response. The number of users that have involved themselves in this post should have been a clear indicator well over 10 pages ago, not to mention the assumption of those who do not partake in forums. The Australian demographic needs a different guideline, and we should be updated clearly as to when and what is happening. While we appreciate the many features that Square has developed, it isn’t enough to roll with those and ignore a large amount of your users for a simple upgrade to relieve financial stress in a different economy. Rachel’s got the right idea. And only a handful on this page have been “requesting”. Now, we are most definitely *demanding* this feature be implemented.

[Slixx]

@dimo10 

1. This doesn’t allow you to use a surcharge for Square Invoices

2. When you create it as a tax, the surcharge becomes GST free as you can tax a tax

3. I believe this no only is the list for BETA testers full, but it’s for US customers only 

[Rancho]

Can't believe it's been THREE years and this still hasn't been sorted out. What an absolute joke

[Smithward]

@RachelLawes Join the beta via the link below. We've been using it since August, allows us to automatically add a card processing fee surcharge.

https://www.sellercommunity.com/t5/Card-Surcharges/gh-p/CardSurcharges

[Slixx]

 

@Smithward I signed up in June and still waiting to be approved 

[Robbo1]

Is square able to charge the fees for customers using eftpos? I bought 2 sqaure registers. Unable to find where to pass the fee on to customers? I was previously told it had go be incorporated into item costs, but I don't want that because it penalises customers using cash. Is there a way to pass the  surcharge to customers using eftpos only? 

[Arie]

Hey @Robbo1,

I've merged your post to this thread where the best answer in covers how to get started with service charges 🙂 We merge posts in the community to make answers easier to find. 

Please let us know if you have any further questions, we're happy to help!

[JeffReynolds]

The fact that this thread is three years old, is incredibly disappointing. Automated credit card surcharges have been around in Australia for a while now, I can't understand why this feature isn't available.

Our accountant has strongly recommended that we pass on transaction fees, however not having it automated is ridiculous. 

Just adding my vote for this feature.

[KellybrookWine]

Hello,

Is there an update on this? We are wanting to pass the card processing fee on to customers but not penalise those paying cash.

Also, I have tried to add a surcharge in the Taxes section (as @dimo10 suggested) but can only add a percentage in whole numbers (eg 1 or 2%, not 1.6%).

Thank you. Looking forward to a solution to this as absorbing the card processing fee is costing too much!