Whats the law regarding Credit Card and Debit Card Fees?
The answer is “probably not.â€쳌 Whereas no federal or West Virginia state law specifically prohibits a merchant from charging you an additional fee for the privilege of using a credit card, credit card companies such as Visa, Mastercard, and American Express prohibit merchants from doing so. In order to accept credit cards, businesses must sign contracts with credit card banks, and those contracts specifically bar merchants from charging cardholders extra fees at the point of sale. When merchants violate this provision and charge additional fees, they place other businesses at a competitive disadvantage, and under West Virginia law, unfair methods of competition are prohibited by West Virginia Code § 46A-6-104. Although consumers cannot be penalized in this manner for using their credit cards, nothing prohibits merchants from offering discounts to consumers who pay in cash, by check, or some other means.
