What does an illegal debit-card surcharge look like on a receipt?

A separate line item between the subtotal and total - labeled card fee, service fee, convenience fee, surcharge, or non-cash adjustment - adding a percentage or flat amount the customer would not have paid in cash. Applied to a debit-card payment on or after August 1, 2026, it is what Louisiana Act 751 bans.

Is a non-cash adjustment the same as a surcharge?

If it adds money to the posted price because the customer paid by card, yes. A genuine cash discount subtracts from one posted price; an amount added back for card payment is a surcharge, and on debit cards it is prohibited in Louisiana.

What proof do I need to file a debit-surcharge complaint?

R.S. 51:3082(C) expects the business's name and address, the transaction date and amount, the surcharge amount, and the customer's receipt. Photograph the receipt promptly because thermal ink fades, and capture any signage advertising a card fee.

What if I already threw away the receipt?

A bank or card statement still shows the business, date, and total, and a photo of checkout signage advertising the fee helps. The Louisiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-351-4889 can advise on how best to document the complaint.

How to Spot an Illegal Debit-Card Fee on Your Receipt

Since August 1, 2026, a Louisiana business cannot add a fee to your bill for paying with a debit card - that is Act 751, formerly SB 254. If your receipt shows one anyway, that little line item is both the violation and the proof. Here is how to recognize it, including the disguises.

The receipt is where an illegal surcharge stops being a suspicion and becomes evidence. The law itself expects complaints "supported by the customer's receipt" - so knowing what to look for, and keeping what you find, is most of the work of holding a business to the rule.

What the fee looks like on a receipt

Look for a separate line between the subtotal and the total - an amount you would not have paid in cash. Common labels: "card fee," "service fee," "convenience fee," "processing fee," "surcharge," or the popular euphemism "non-cash adjustment." It may be a percentage (3% and 4% are typical) or a flat amount, added at checkout after you chose to pay by card.

The label is irrelevant. If you paid with a debit card and the line added money to the posted price because of how you paid, it is the thing Act 751 prohibits.

"Ran as credit" doesn't make it legal

Your receipt may say the transaction ran as credit even though you paid with your debit card - that happens whenever you tap or sign instead of entering a PIN. The processing route changes; the card does not. A debit card is debit either way, and a fee applied to it is still banned. This routing confusion is the single most common way businesses charge illegal fees while believing they are compliant - our PIN vs. signature debit guide covers why.

Cash-discount look-alikes

Some receipts show the fee in reverse. A genuine cash discount starts from one posted price and subtracts for cash - that is legal. The look-alike posts a "cash price," then adds an amount back when you pay by card. If the shelf or menu price is the lower number and your debit receipt shows more, the "discount" is a surcharge wearing different clothes, and on debit it is prohibited. The tell: compare the posted price to what your card was actually charged.

Photograph the receipt today. Most register receipts are thermal paper, and the ink fades in weeks - sometimes days in a hot car. Take a photo the day of the transaction, and get the checkout signage in a second shot if a card fee is advertised.

Turn your receipt into a complaint

Louisiana's complaint process, set out in R.S. 51:3082(C), expects four things - all of which your receipt and phone camera cover:

1. The business's name and address.
2. The transaction date and amount.
3. The amount of the surcharge.
4. The receipt itself.

With those in hand, you are ready to file with the Attorney General - the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-351-4889 or the online consumer complaint form.

What to do next

Reporting stops the fee going forward; a written notice gets your own money back. The same four details power both: the law gives you a refund path in which your written notice starts a 30-day clock for the business to fix the practice and reimburse the surcharge. Our reporting page has the official AG channels plus a free generator that builds the notice letter from your receipt details.