Card surcharges, minimum spends and refusing cash

The card fee ban and your freedom to refuse cash apply across the UK. The Equality Act 2010 and the tipping law apply in Great Britain.

Extra charges for how a customer pays

You cannot charge a customer a fee for paying by consumer credit card, debit card or charge card. The ban also covers mobile wallets and services such as PayPal. It applies to shops and online sellers of every size.

The ban follows the type of card, not the buyer. A sole trader who buys for the business on a personal card is protected. A commercial card, issued for business expenses and charged to a business account, is outside the ban.

The ban applies where your payment provider and the customer's card issuer are both in the UK.

Working out your costs

Keep records of what each payment method costs you. You can use your average cost for each method. No law sets a fixed maximum fee.

Fees that are not surcharges

A booking, delivery or admin fee is not a payment surcharge if every customer pays it whatever the payment method. A £10 booking fee, or 10% of the total, charged to everyone is allowed. Include it in the price you show customers from the start.

Minimum card spend

The Regulations restrict fees. They do not stop you refusing card payments below a set amount. You can set a minimum card spend and apply it to every customer. You cannot charge a fee to make up the difference.

Check the terms of your agreement with your card provider before you set a minimum.

Refusing cash

No law requires a shop to accept cash. You can go fully cashless or take cash only for some sales.

Legal tender has a narrow meaning. If you pay a debt in full in legal tender and the contract names no other method, the creditor cannot sue you for non-payment. It does not oblige a shop to take any form of payment, so a shop can refuse a £50 note.

In England and Wales, Royal Mint coins and Bank of England notes are legal tender. Debit cards, cheques and contactless payments are not legal tender anywhere.

If you hear that cash is protected by law

Tell customers before they buy

Show any cash or card limit where customers see it before they commit. Put it on your door, menu, website and booking page. Telling customers only at the till can be a misleading omission under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. That part of the Act has applied since 6 April 2025.

Going cashless and disabled customers

Service providers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers. A card-only policy that puts a disabled customer at a substantial disadvantage may need an adjustment, such as another way to pay.

Tips paid by card

Card tips that reach your business are tips like any other. You must allocate them fairly to your workers, and the payment method does not change that.

If you charge a banned fee

Where to get help

Ask your local Trading Standards service before you change your prices or set a minimum card spend. In Northern Ireland, ask the Trading Standards Service at the Department for the Economy.