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A cash discount program that customers understand.
A cash discount program posts one price and gives customers a discount when they pay cash. Dual pricing shows a cash price and a card price side by side. Both can help you offset card costs, within card-brand rules.
Cash discount vs. dual pricing
| Cash discount | Discount off the posted price |
| Dual pricing | Cash and card prices shown |
| How it is framed | A discount for cash |
| Signage | Required, in plain view |
| Receipt | Shows the price paid |
Card-brand and state rules change. Check current rules before you launch.
Why some cash discount programs backfire
The idea is simple. The setup is where programs fall apart. Here is what we often find when merchants come to us, and what a careful program looks like.
What you often find
- Sold with a promise of “zero fees” that never holds up
- A card fee that is really a surcharge in disguise
- Signs that are small, missing or hard to read
- Menu or shelf prices that don’t match the register
- Staff left to explain the price difference on the spot
At PayZoom
- A plain explanation of what the program can and can’t do
- Set up as a true cash discount or dual pricing, per card-brand rules
- Signs placed where customers see them before they pay
- Terminal and receipt settings that match your posted prices
- A real person to call when a customer asks a question
How a cash discount program works
Surcharging adds a fee to credit card payments. A cash discount works the other way: the posted price is the card price, and cash earns a discount. Three pieces make it hold up.
Posted prices
Your menu, shelf or invoice prices reflect what a card customer pays.
A clear discount
Customers paying cash see the discount, on signs and at the register.
Matching receipts
Your terminal prints exactly what was charged, so nothing looks hidden.
The PayZoom Statement Review
- Send. Email us one recent processing statement.
- Read. We line-item every fee and separate what the card networks charge from what your processor keeps.
- Recommend. You get a plain-English answer. If you are already paying a fair price, we will tell you.
- Switch. If you move to PayZoom, we set up processing to fit your POS, gateway or cart.
Not only did PayZoom lower our costs, they analyzed our internal processes and made recommendations to improve workflow and provided new equipment so we could capture electronic payments at all points in the hospital and at off-site locations.
Jim Bishop, CPA, Controller, Jennie Stuart Medical Center
Since 2006, a person who knows your account.
| Founded | 2006, Daphne, Alabama |
| Clients in | Nearly every U.S. state |
| Support | Never outsourced |
| Registered partner of | Cygnus Payments and Evolv Payment Solutions |
Questions merchants ask us
Straight answers. If yours is not here, call us and a real person will answer it.
Does a cash discount program get rid of my processing fees?
Not exactly. You still pay processing costs on every card payment. A cash discount program lets you offset some or all of that cost through your pricing, within card-brand rules. Anyone who promises zero processing fees is skipping part of the story. We show you what you will still pay, line by line.
How is a cash discount different from surcharging?
A surcharge is a fee added on top of the price when a customer pays with a credit card, and it can’t be applied to debit or prepaid cards. A cash discount starts from the posted price and takes money off for cash. Because they are built differently, card-brand rules treat them differently. Our surcharging page covers the other side.
What is dual pricing?
Dual pricing shows two prices for each item: one for cash and one for cards. Customers see both before they decide how to pay, and the receipt reflects the one they chose. It is common at fuel pumps and counters where prices are already posted. It is a close cousin of the cash discount, with more information up front.
Will customers be upset?
Some will ask questions, and that is normal. Most complaints come from surprise, not from the price itself. Clear signs at the entrance and the register, and receipts that match what was posted, prevent most of them. We help you plan the wording and placement so your staff has a simple answer ready.
Is a cash discount program allowed in every state?
Rules vary, and they change. Card-brand rules set the baseline, and some states add their own requirements on how prices and discounts are shown. Check the current rules for where you do business before you launch. We help you set up the program correctly, but we don’t give legal advice.
Send us one statement. We’ll tell you exactly what you’re paying.
No cost and no pressure. If your current rate is fair, we’ll say so. We typically reply the same business day.
| Call toll-free | 866.242.4325 |
| Local | 251.626.8100 |
| nate@bizpayzoom.com |