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Dual pricing: two prices on every tag. The customer picks.
Each item shows a card price and a cash price, and so does the register before anyone pays. Nobody is surprised at checkout, nothing is added at the end, and card buyers cover the cost of their card.
How it works
Both prices, everywhere a price appears.
On the item
Printed tags and shelf labels carry both: "Card $26.00 / Cash $25.00". For hand-priced bins, a bin sign with both prices works.
At the register
The total shows both amounts before the customer chooses how to pay. The PIN pad shows the card total; cash buyers pay the cash total.
On the receipt
The receipt shows the total paid and the other price, so the customer can see the choice they made.
What Visa expects
The card price can't appear for the first time at checkout.
Visa's published guidance on pricing is simple: show the card price, or show the card and cash prices side by side for each item. If the card total is reached by adding a fee at the end, Visa treats it as a surcharge, with all the surcharge rules attached.
- Both prices on the item, the shelf or the bin sign
- The card total adds up from the displayed card prices
- No "fee" line added to card sales
- Signs at the door and register explaining the two prices
You may see vendors cite a "new Visa dual pricing rule." We could not find one published; Visa's current rules and its 2024 pricing guidance are what we build to. If that changes, so will your setup.
New York: dual pricing is the cleanest fit
Since February 2024, New York requires the total credit-card price in dollars before checkout. A percent-only sign does not comply, and neither does an added fee line, even one called a "non-cash adjustment." Showing both prices up front is exactly what the law wants.
New York detailsWho it fits
- Stores that print tags or shelf labels from a tagging station
- ReStores and furniture stores with fixed-price categories
- Boutique resale with priced racks and signage
- Any store where shoppers would rather see the choice than find it at the register
Side by side
Dual pricing vs. cash discount.
They save the same money. The difference is where the cash price shows up.
| Dual pricing | Cash discount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tag shows | Card price and cash price | Card price only |
| Cash price appears | On every item and at the register | On the door and register signs, and at checkout |
| Retagging | Needs both prices on tags or signs | None |
| Debit buyers pay | Card price | Card price (tag) |
| Best states | Everywhere it is allowed; especially New York | Everywhere it is allowed except Puerto Rico |
| Best stores | Printed tags, shelf labels, fixed-price categories | Hand-priced, color tags, mixed tag styles |
Questions
Dual pricing, asked and answered.
How do I get two prices on hand-written tags?
Fixed-price bins and racks get one sign that shows both prices ("Everything on this rack: Card $5.00 / Cash $4.81"). One-off hand-written tags need both numbers written on them. If that is too much for your volunteers, run a cash discount instead: same savings, no second number. We will help you pick a setup your team can keep up with.
Will customers try to pay cash for everything?
Some will, and that is fine: cash costs you nothing to accept. Most card buyers keep paying by card for convenience, and the card price covers what that card costs you.
How far apart can the two prices be?
Programs commonly run 3% to 4%. We set the difference to cover your real card cost, and no more, so the cash price is always an honest discount.
Does the PIN pad handle it?
Yes. Your terminal is set up for dual pricing before it ships, so the card total shows on the screen and the receipt carries the price paid and the other price.
Price it both ways with your numbers.
Send your statement and we will show dual pricing and a cash discount side by side for your store.