{"id":3399,"date":"2026-06-27T21:04:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T21:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3399"},"modified":"2026-06-27T21:04:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T21:04:25","slug":"are-you-paying-extra-for-using-a-debit-card-in-nc-or-skipping-a-cash-discount","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3399","title":{"rendered":"Are you paying extra for using a debit card in NC? Or skipping a \u2018cash discount\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re shopping or eating out in the Triangle, you\u2019re likely going to see an extra fee on your receipt if you\u2019re paying with a credit card<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re using a debit card, you won\u2019t \u2014 or you shouldn\u2019t \u2014 see a surcharge, even though merchants are still paying processing fees, just as they do when they accept credit cards.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s against the law for merchants to add a surcharge to payments made with debit cards, said Andy Ellen, president and general counsel for the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association<\/a>. Even if you pay with a debit card and select \u201ccredit\u201d on the point of sale terminal, you shouldn\u2019t be charged an extra fee.<\/p>\n

Also, companies including Mastercard<\/a> and Visa<\/a> prohibit merchants from applying a surcharge on debit cards.<\/p>\n

But in some transactions, you might pay more if you use a debit card than you would if using cash.<\/p>\n

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A good example of this is when you\u2019re buying gas<\/a>. Gas stations usually charge different prices depending on whether you\u2019re paying with a card or with cash. If you pay with a credit or debit card, you\u2019re probably spending a few cents more per gallon than if you pay with cash.<\/p>\n

But in that case, the merchant is offering a cash discount, and it\u2019s totally legal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey haven\u2019t surcharged you,\u201d Ellen said. \u201cThey\u2019ve just given you a discount off of what the credit or debit price was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s say you go to a restaurant, and your meal costs $10. The restaurant can\u2019t then charge you, say, an extra 3% if you pay with a debit card. But it can charge you an extra 3% if you pay with a credit card. That\u2019s a surcharge.<\/p>\n

Read more Severe thunderstorm warning issued for Triangle, with wind and hail<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some customers using debit cards may think they\u2019re getting charged more for using them to pay. Here\u2019s the difference between a surcharge and cash discount.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nAre you paying extra for using a debit card in NC? Or skipping a \u2018cash discount\u2019? - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3399\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are you paying extra for using a debit card in NC? Or skipping a \u2018cash discount\u2019? - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some customers using debit cards may think they\u2019re getting charged more for using them to pay. 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