Why is there a fee to use my Discover Network, MasterCard, Visa or American Express card?
Credit card companies charge merchants a processing fee for accepting their cards. Retail merchants can pay for this by including it in the cost of their merchandise but the BOE cannot do this with tax payments. The only way for BOE to handle the cost is to pass the fee on to the taxpayer. This convenience fee is charged by the credit card processing vendor, Official Payments Corp. and is not revenue to the BOE. In some cases, credit card issuers offer incentives (cash rebates, frequent flier mileage) for using your credit card that will help offset the fees you will pay. The fee is 2.5% of the transaction amount. Please note: Transactions under $40 are subject to a $1.00 minimum.
