The printed total should match the program customers saw.

What a compliant receipt shows

Visa and Mastercard both treat receipt disclosure as a required control for surcharge programs. The customer should be able to see the fee as its own line, not buried inside a higher item price.

• Itemize a surcharge as a separate line when a surcharge program is in use.
• Keep the listed amount at or below documented cost-of-acceptance and network caps.
• Do not print a surcharge on debit or prepaid transactions.

Cash discount receipts

If the program is a cash discount, the receipt should not create the card total by adding a percentage to a lower posted cash price. That pattern is surcharge behavior, even when the label says discount.

• Card receipts should match the posted card price, or the card price shown next to cash.
• Cash receipts should show the discount from that regular posted price.
• Staff should not add a “card fee” line on a program that is framed as a cash discount.

Common receipt failures

• No separate surcharge line on a credit sale that collected a fee.
• A fee appears after a customer uses a debit or prepaid card, including when “credit” is selected.
• The receipt total does not match the price the customer saw on the menu or shelf.

Operator checklist

• Save one sample receipt from each lane and device type.
• Test credit, debit, and prepaid so the printed lines match card-type rules.
• Compare the receipt wording with door signs and posted menu prices.
• Re-print samples after any POS, gateway, or rate change.

Continue the other two steps

Receipts should confirm what signs promised and what menus posted.