U.S. States Tighten Scrutiny of Checkout and Card Fees

U.S. states made checkout surcharges, hidden “junk fees” and interchange fees a consumer-protection priority during the 2025-2026 legislative cycle. The debate centers on whether merchants may pass card-processing costs to shoppers and whether advertised prices must include every mandatory charge. The patchwork matters because retailers, banks and payment processors could face sharply different disclosure, pricing and enforcement rules across state lines.

Recent measures highlight the range of approaches. New Jersey AB4807 would ban surcharges outright, while Georgia HB700 and Oklahoma SB2132 would cap them at a merchant’s actual processing cost. Louisiana enacted SB254, barring retailers from adding surcharges to debit-card payments from Aug. 1, 2026. Colorado Governor Jared Polis, meanwhile, vetoed SB134 on June 3; the measure would have prohibited interchange fees on the sales-tax portion of card transactions.