Boarding
Daycare
Grooming
Training
Dog Park / Dog Bar
Enterprise
Gingr Surcharging
General Questions
Is credit card surcharging required?
No. Surcharging is entirely opt-in and must be enabled per location.
Is surcharging available for all Gingr users?
Currently, surcharging is available for Gingr Payments (Stripe-based) customers in the United States only. CardConnect support is coming later in 2026.
Can I run surcharging and convenience fees at the same time?
No. Surcharging and convenience fees are mutually exclusive. If you currently use convenience fees, you will need to disable them before enrolling in surcharging.
How is surcharging different from convenience fees?
Surcharging is percentage-based (up to 3% of the transaction total) and scales with the invoice amount, making it more beneficial for higher-value transactions. Also, surcharging applies to all eligible payment events, including in-person transactions on the terminal. Convenience fees are a flat $4.50 fee added to every credit card transaction regardless of the total. For most businesses, surcharging will recover significantly more in processing costs.
Setup & Configuration
How do I enroll in surcharging?
Navigate to Admin > Credit Card Processing (or Reports > Gingr Payments Dashboard). Select the Surcharging tab, review and accept the terms, click "Enroll in Surcharging," and set your desired percentage. That's it! Surcharging activates immediately.
Can I choose the surcharge percentage?
Yes. You can set the percentage anywhere between 0% and 3%. It defaults to 3% when you enroll, but you can adjust it at any time and the change saves immediately.
I have multiple locations. Do I need to enroll separately for each?
Yes. Surcharging is enabled per merchant ID, so you will need to enroll each location individually through its own Gingr Payments Dashboard.
Do I need to notify the credit card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) before I start surcharging?
No. As of March 2026, Mastercard no longer requires merchants to notify card brands before surcharging. This rule has been updated across the major networks, so Gingr handles the compliance steps on the back end when you enroll.
Do I need to notify my customers before I start surcharging?
Yes — and we strongly recommend it. Update your customer-facing legal agreements to include surcharging language and have clients re-sign. We also recommend sending a marketing email or SMS letting customers know when surcharging will take effect and what to expect. Clear, proactive communication reduces confusion and pushback.
Check out our guide to communicating surcharging updates on the Gingr blog for templates, sample messages, and more.
How It Works
Which payment types does the surcharge apply to?
The surcharge applies to credit card payments only — including cards on file, in-person terminal transactions, Pet Parent Portal payments, subscriptions, memberships, deposits, and prepayments. It does not apply to debit cards, prepaid cards, gift cards, or cash (there are significant financial penalties from processors and credit card brands for add a surcharging to non-credit payments, so Gingr handles compliance on your behalf)
What if a customer uses a debit card at the terminal and there is no PIN option?
Even if the terminal does not prompt for a PIN, the card is still classified by the card network as a debit transaction. Because it is a debit card drawing funds from a bank account, surcharging is not allowed and will not be applied. Gingrautomatically detects the funding type so your staff does not need to identify the card type manually.
Is the surcharge calculated before or after taxes?
The surcharge applies to all items covered by the payment. No items are excluded from the surcharge calculation.
Does the surcharge apply to the tip amount as well?
At the terminal, the tip is selected first, and then the surcharge is calculated on the total including the tip.
Does the surcharge show on estimates and invoices?
Yes. The surcharge is displayed clearly on all invoices and estimates. When a prepayment is applied to a reservation, the surcharge line item will appear on the estimate at that time.
Can I customize the surcharge label on the invoice?
No. The label "Credit Card Surcharge" and the line item format are fixed and required for regulatory compliance. They cannot be renamed or hidden.
Do customers have to approve the surcharge each time they pay?
A clear disclosure message is shown to the customer before the payment is completed — both in the business portal (staff-facing) and on the Pet Parent Portal (customer-facing). The customer sees the surcharge amount before confirming. They do not need to sign a separate approval each time as long as your legal agreements have been updated to reference surcharging.
What happens when a payment is refunded?
Surcharges are refunded fully or proportionately along with the payment. You also have the option to choose whether to include the surcharge in the refund.
Will my merchant processing rates go up because I enabled surcharging?
Your processing rate structure changes when you enroll in surcharging. You can view your updated rates at any time from the Surcharging tab in your Gingr Payments Dashboard under "View Current Processing Rates." For a personalized savings estimate, contact your Gingr representative or book a one-on-one session with our team.
Is the processor also charging fees on the surcharge amount itself?
Your updated processing rate applies to the full transaction including the surcharge amount. For specifics on your net savings, we recommend reviewing your personalized savings quote with a Gingr representative, as this varies by account.
Pet Parent Experience
What do pet parents see when they pay online?
When a pet parent selects or enters a credit card on the Pet Parent Portal, a surcharge disclosure appears automatically before they complete the payment. The disclosure shows the surcharge amount clearly. If they switch to a debit or prepaid card, the surcharge disappears. Cards on file are now also labeled by type (Visa Credit Card, Mastercard Debit Card, etc.) so pet parents can easily identify which card they are using.
Can pet parents avoid the surcharge?
Yes — by paying with a debit card, prepaid card, cash, or check. The surcharge only applies to credit card transactions.
Are we required to offer cash or check so customers can avoid the fee?
Federal surcharging regulations do not mandate that you offer a surcharge-free payment alternative, but we recommend consulting your state and local laws as requirements vary by location. See the Compliance section below.
Reporting & Payments
How do I track surcharge revenue?
The Gingr Payments Dashboard includes new surcharging reports showing: total surcharge revenue collected, total processing fees paid, net revenue after fees, and card funding type (credit, debit, prepaid) on every transaction record.
I can see payments in Gingr but not in my Stripe account. Where are my funds?
Check your Gingr Payments Dashboard under Reports for payout details, fees, and surcharging activity. Stripe processes payouts on a standard schedule — if you have recently enrolled in surcharging, allow time for the first payout cycle. If you still do not see deposits after checking the dashboard, contact Gingr Support for assistance.
Compliance & Legal
Is surcharging legal in my state?
Surcharging is permitted in most U.S. states, but some states have specific rules or restrictions. Merchants are responsible for verifying compliance with applicable state and local laws before enabling surcharging. Gingr handles the technical compliance (correct card type detection, capped at 3%, required disclosure language) but cannot provide legal advice for your specific jurisdiction.
What customer pushback should we expect, and how should we respond?
Common concerns include: "Why are you charging me more to use my card?" and "I didn't agree to this." Recommended talking points: The surcharge recovers a cost your business was previously absorbing; customers paying with debit or cash are unaffected; the surcharge is clearly disclosed before every transaction; and the fee allows you to keep your service prices stable. Proactive communication before launch significantly reduces friction.
CardConnect
Is surcharging available for CardConnect accounts?
Not yet. CardConnect surcharging support is in development and expected later in 2026. The feature behavior (card type detection, surcharge display, percentage range) will be similar to the Stripe implementation. The enrollment process will be more manual and handled through the Gingr merchant support team. We will announce availability when it launches.
Have More Questions?
Book a one-on-one walkthrough with the Gingr team to get a personalized savings quote and guided setup:
For support: contact your dedicated Gingr representative, or reach the support team through your Gingr account.
