re: It’s no longer legal to charge additional for debit card usage- PSA

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7News asked a local resident, Danae Lawson, whether she knew it was against federal law and how she felt about it.

“I did not know that it was against federal law, and that actually makes me more upset by it,” she responded in shock.

Senate Bill 254, introduced by Beth Mizell, aims to enforce a federal rule under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that prohibits surcharges on debit card transactions.

“I just got a text asking me where this came from, and it came from the fact that this is in our face every day, that we’re being charged a surcharge for use of our debit card, which is basically our own money. We’ve been ignoring federal law on this since 2010,” Mizell said during the meeting before the board on March 11.

But despite the law, consumers across the country and here at home have been posting receipts on social media showing added fees, some dating back years.

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Under Visa and Mastercard card network policies, debit card surcharges are not allowed, and even credit card fees must be clearly posted before purchase.

While some businesses claim debit purchases are processed as credit, experts say the card number itself identifies them as debit, meaning the surcharge shouldn’t apply.

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