You work hard to grow your pet-care business—every tail wag, every clean paw print, and every satisfied pet parent matters. But a hidden fee lurks in your day-to-day operations: credit card processing costs. These fees might seem small, but over time, they can quietly chip away at your profits. The good news? There’s a simple, transparent way to offset those costs without raising your prices: convenience fees.

In this guide, we’ll explain convenience fees, how they work, their value to pet-care businesses like yours, and how Gingr makes applying them simple and stress-free.

What Are Convenience Fees?

A man uses a laptop as a dog sits next to him

Convenience fees are flat fees charged to customers who choose to pay through an alternative payment channel—like online or over the phone—rather than in person. These fees are designed to help businesses recover the costs associated with card-not-present transactions (like deposits or shopping cart payments), which often carry higher processing fees.

Think of it like this: you’re not charging for the service itself—you’re charging for the convenience of a specific payment method. And unlike surcharges, which can be confusing and legally restricted, convenience fees are simple, compliant, and broadly accepted.

Why Should You Utilize Convenience Fees?

Let’s face it—running a pet-care business today isn’t cheap. Labor costs are rising, pet parent expectations are higher than ever, and card processing fees continue to nibble away at your revenue. Convenience fees offer a way to rebalance your margins without passing the entire burden onto your pet parents.

1. Protect Your Margins Without Raising Prices

You want to stay competitive—and raising your boarding or grooming rates too often can price you out of the market. A small, transparent fee on select payment types gives you room to breathe without adjusting your core pricing.

2. Predictable for You and Your Clients

Unlike surcharges, which fluctuate based on the transaction amount, a flat convenience fee is easy for pet parents to understand—and easier for your team to explain. No math, no confusion, no surprise.

3. Legally Compliant and Broadly Accepted

Surcharges are banned in some states and tightly regulated by card brands. Convenience fees, on the other paw, are permitted in most locations and come with fewer restrictions—making them a safer choice.

4. Offset Costs for High-Volume, Card-Not-Present Transactions

Online booking, deposits, shopping cart purchases—pet parents love these options, but they come with higher processing fees. Convenience fees help cover those costs without discouraging the use of your self-service tools.

How to Discuss Convenience Fees with Pet Parents

Worried about how customers will respond? You’re not alone—but transparency goes a long way. A great way to handle the conversation is by keeping it simple: letting pet parents know that a small fee applies to online payments to help offset rising processing costs.

A quick note at checkout or in your FAQs can go a long way. It’s also helpful to remind customers that they’re welcome to use a different payment method to avoid the fee—and that your service prices remain the same. Most pet parents are already familiar with convenience fees from other industries like airlines, event tickets, or utility payments, and they appreciate honesty when it’s communicated clearly!

Simplify Convenience Fees with Gingr

Convenience Fees in Gingr

You already have enough on your plate. That's why we built Gingr’s Convenience Fee feature to be hands-off, compliant, and profitable from day one. Here are four reasons why your business should give it a try:

  • Set It and Forget It: Enable it once, and Gingr takes care of the rest.
  • Integrated With Reporting: See exactly how much you’re recouping and track it by transaction type.
  • No Extra Charges: Gingr only retains $0.75 of each fee. The rest goes directly to your business.
  • Pet-Parent Friendly: Applies only to card-not-present transactions—not recurring memberships or terminal payments.

Setup is easy—just head to your Gingr admin settings, toggle the feature on, and you’re ready to go. No complex rules, no extra fees to use the feature, and no headaches trying to track it manually. Gingr automatically includes convenience fees in your financial reports and dashboards for clear visibility.

When paired with other revenue-driving tools like Gingr PreCheck and Memberships, convenience fees are just one more way Gingr helps you do more with less busywork.

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