Questions

1. What is surcharging?

2. What are the benefits of Managed Surcharging?

3. Which merchants are eligible for Managed Surcharging?

4. Are all states eligible for Surcharging?

5. Can the surcharge be applied to every payment method?

6. What must be completed before going live?

7. How does the Managed Surcharging model work technically?

8. What information must be provided when requesting surcharging?

9. Who is responsible for the surcharge amount?

10. Can a merchant use surcharging together with a convenience fee or cash discount?

11. Where can surcharge details be viewed in Dex?

12. What transaction types are supported?

12.1. What happens if a customer receives a refund?

13. What response codes are associated with Surcharging transactions?

14. How must the surcharge be shown to customers?

15. Does CSG Forte provide sample surcharge signage and disclosure language?

16. Where can help be obtained?

17. Are technical resources available for Managed Surcharging?

Surcharging is an additional fee applied to an eligible credit-card transaction to help offset some payment-processing costs. The surcharge is added to the customer’s transaction total.

Managed Surcharging helps reduce the operational effort required to maintain surcharge calculation logic. CSG Forte and the third party provider evaluate applicable surcharge requirements and return the surcharge amount for use during checkout. This approach allows merchants to focus on payment processing and customer experience rather than maintaining surcharge calculation rules internally.

Managed Surcharging is currently available to eligible U.S.-based merchants that: 

• Process card transactions through CSG Forte’s acquired model. 
• Operate in supported payment channels, including eCommerce, Retail, and MOTO (Mail Order/Telephone Order). 
• Use an absorbed pricing model. 
• Complete the required onboarding, registration, testing, and enablement activities. 
• Operate in jurisdictions where surcharging is permitted. 

Managed Surcharging applies only to eligible credit-card transactions. Debit cards, prepaid cards, and unsupported card products are not eligible for surcharging. Credit cards issued outside the United States and Canada are not currently supported for surcharge calculation. Merchant eligibility may vary based on merchant location, processor requirements, payment method, and applicable state or local regulations. 

No. Some jurisdictions prohibit surcharging or require additional review. Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico prohibit surcharging, while California, New York and Mississippi may require additional review. Merchants should confirm applicable requirements before enabling a surcharge program, as laws and regulations may change over time.

No. Surcharging is limited to eligible credit-card transactions. Merchants must not apply a surcharge to debit or prepaid cards. Customers should have access to a non-surcharged payment option where required by the applicable program or jurisdiction. 

Managed Surcharging is currently supported for eligible U.S.-issued credit cards. International cards may still be accepted for payment; however, if a card is not eligible for surcharging, the transaction may continue without a surcharge amount, subject to applicable processing requirements. 

The merchant must complete the applicable agreement, enablement, registration, integration, testing, and readiness activities required for its selected model. Production activation is not immediate and depends on processor, configuration, testing, and approval requirements.

The merchant first requests a surcharge calculation from CSG Forte. CSG Forte returns the surcharge amount and a reference for the calculation. The merchant displays the amount to the customer and submits the final payment with the total amount, surcharge amount, and required reference.

The merchant should be prepared to provide its merchant or location identifier, intended model, integration method, expected go-live date, processing channel, technical contact, and completed agreement information. Additional information may be required during onboarding.

For Managed Surcharging, CSG Forte returns the calculated amount, but the merchant remains responsible for using the amount correctly in the transaction flow and meeting its applicable obligations. The merchant receives the full transaction amount, including the surcharge, which remains part of the merchant's transaction proceeds and is intended to help offset eligible credit-card processing costs.

No. A merchant must select the pricing model that applies to its program. Surcharging cannot be combined with a convenience fee, service fee, or cash-discount program within the same merchant program or transaction.

Merchants can review surcharge information directly in Dex by opening the applicable transaction and selecting the “Receipt” tab. The surcharge appears as a separate line item together with the transaction subtotal, tax amount, and total authorized amount. 

Printable receipt versions also display the surcharge separately, allowing merchants and customers to clearly identify the surcharge amount associated with the transaction. Depending on the applicable implementation phase, surcharge visibility may also be available through transaction reporting, exports, and related reporting features. 

Surcharge-enabled processing may support the following transaction types: 

• Sale: Include the surcharge amount. 
• Authorization: Include the surcharge amount. 
• Capture: The surcharge remains associated with the original authorization. 
• Void: Void the original transaction; the surcharge is voided with it. 
• Refund: Return the full original surcharge. 
• Partial Refund: Return a surcharge proportional to the refunded subtotal. 

Notes: 

• A surcharge may not appear if the payment method is not eligible, such as debit or prepaid, if the transaction falls within a restricted jurisdiction, if the merchant is not enabled for surcharging, or if a system fallback allows the transaction to proceed without surcharge due to a technical or integration-related condition. 
• Settlement timing, dispute handling, fraud controls, velocity rules, and standard payment-processing procedures remain unchanged. 
• Surcharge calculations are based on the eligible transaction amount and should not include tax, shipping, or other non-qualifying amounts when determining the surcharge amount. 

A full refund should return the full surcharge associated with the original transaction. For a partial refund, the merchant submits the refund amount and the applicable surcharge refund amount is determined based on the portion of the base transaction being refunded. Merchants should follow the applicable refund process to ensure the correct surcharge amount is returned to the customer.

Surcharge transactions may return specific response codes that help identify validation, configuration, or processing issues. These codes are relevant for troubleshooting scenarios, particularly for refunds, configuration problems, and situations where surcharge values do not align with expected transaction rules. Certain surcharge response codes may indicate that surcharging has not yet been enabled for the merchant account or location, or that additional setup requirements must be completed before surcharge transactions can be processed.

Note: These response codes are mainly used to validate that surcharge amounts and refund values remain consistent with the original transaction. Response codes U38, U39, U42, and U43 apply specifically to refund transactions and are used to validate that refunded subtotal and surcharge amounts remain consistent with the original surcharged transaction. For more information, refer to the Transactions Status and Decline Codes solution.

The surcharge must be disclosed before the customer submits payment and shown as a separate line item on the receipt. Customers should be able to identify the base transaction amount, the surcharge, and the total amount being charged.

Yes. CSG Forte provides sample disclosure language that merchants may use as a starting point for customer-facing communications. Merchants are responsible for reviewing and adapting the language according to their payment channels, business needs, and applicable legal, card-brand, processor, state, and local requirements before use. Examples may include:

Merchants should contact their CSG Forte representative or support channel for eligibility confirmation, enablement, integration requirements, and model-specific guidance. The applicable requirements may vary by merchant configuration, processor, payment method, and jurisdiction. 

Note: Surcharging requirements can vary by card brand, processor, state, local jurisdiction, merchant configuration, and payment method. Merchants should obtain appropriate legal or compliance advice and confirm current requirements before enabling or changing a surcharge program.

Yes. Technical resources are available for merchants and developers implementing Managed Surcharging, including development documentation, API reference materials, and sandbox simulation tools. 

• Forte REST API v3 
• Surcharge Sandbox Simulation