Is there a minimum amount for a debit card?
Isabella Turner
Updated on February 08, 2026
Debit Card Rules The 2010 law only applies to credit card transactions. Debit card transactions are expressly prohibited from having minimum purchase amounts. Under Merchant Agreements with the card brands, minimum payments may not be imposed when a debit card is presented. MasterCard’s agreement is typical.
Can a store charge you a fee for using a debit card?
Surcharges cannot be imposed on debit cards or prepaid debit transactions. If merchants add a surcharge, they must decide to add them at the brand or product level — but not both. A brand level surcharge adds the same fee to all credit card transactions from the same payment network, such as Visa or Mastercard.
Are shops allowed to charge for using a debit card 2020?
Today’s ban means that it will be unlawful for retailers to charge additional fees when someone uses a particular credit or debit card, or other payment systems like PayPal, to make a purchase. In the vast majority of other circumstances surcharges are capped at the cost to the retailer for processing the payment.
What states ban surcharging?
Here are the five states where it’s illegal: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Maine and Massachusetts. While it’s illegal for businesses to charge credit card surcharge fees in these states, there are two things to note. In Maine, government entities can impose credit card surcharges.
Can shops refuse card payments under 5?
There is no minimum card payment law, which means that there’s nothing stopping businesses from setting a minimum spending limit. However, there are rules set out by card networks which state that any merchant accepting their cards cannot set a maximum or minimum limit.
Are card surcharges legal?
On 25 February 2016 the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Payment Surcharges) Act 2016 became law. A business is not required to impose a payment surcharge, but if it chooses to then it is only allowed to pass on to the customer the costs that the business was charged for accepting payment of that payment type.
Is there a minimum purchase amount for a debit card?
The simple answer is no. A merchant’s agreement with card processing networks prohibits them from setting a minimum purchase amount for debit card transactions. Nevertheless, some retailers may not realize that there’s a difference between credit cards and debit cards, and some may just choose not to follow the rules.
Can I impose a minimum transaction of$ 10 for card?
Yes. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 permits businesses to impose a minimum purchase amount of up to $10 for credit card use, but the minimum must be the same for all credit card issuers and payment card networks. Check out all the answers from our credit card experts.
Do you have to pay minimum amount with MasterCard?
A Merchant must not require, or indicate that it requires, a minimum or maximum Transaction amount to accept a valid and properly presented Mastercard or Maestro Card. It’s not just card networks that clearly state that merchants should not be asking customers to spend a certain amount for card payments.
Is it legal to pay with a debit card?
The law is changing along with our financial habits, with the card surcharge ban of 2018 removing any extra charges – and hesitation – customers may have faced when paying by credit or debit card. However, one obstacle remains: the minimum card spend. What are minimum card payments?