Answer:
Both card brands prohibit this practice.
MasterCard Rules 5.11.2 Charges to Cardholders
A Merchant must not directly or indirectly require any Cardholder to pay a surcharge or any part of any Merchant discount or any contemporaneous finance charge in connection with a Transaction. A Merchant may provide a discount to its customers for cash payments. A Merchant is permitted to charge a fee (such as a bona fide commission, postage, expedited service or convenience fees, and the like) if the fee is imposed on all like transactions regardless of theform of payment used, or as the Corporation has expressly permitted in writing.
VISA Rules 5.2.F Taxes and Surcharges
A U.S. Merchant must not:
Add any surcharge to Transactions, except as specified for a Tax Payment Transaction. Travelerscheque and Foreign Currency fees and commissions are not surcharges.Add any tax to Transactions, unless applicable law expressly requires that a Merchant bepermitted to impose a tax. Any tax amount, if allowed, must be included in the Transaction amountand not collected separately.
First published on BankersOnline.com 5/14/12
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