FAQ
Straight answers about dual pricing, cash discounts, and how Pine Payments works.
Dual pricing is a point-of-sale pricing model where you display two prices for every product or service: a lower price for customers who pay with cash, and a standard price for customers who pay with a card. The small difference between the two prices is designed to cover the cost of card acceptance, so your business keeps the full cash price on every sale. Read the full guide: What is dual pricing?
A cash discount program gives your customers a discount when they pay with cash. Customers who pay with a card, credit or debit, pay the regular listed price. The amount you would have paid in credit card processing fees is built into the card price instead, which is why most merchants see their monthly processing costs drop to nearly zero.
Dual pricing and cash discount programs are widely used across the U.S., and offering a lower price for cash has long been allowed under federal law. Card network rules and state pricing and disclosure laws still apply, so the setup has to be done correctly. The key is clear, conspicuous signage that shows both the cash price and the card price before the customer checks out. Pine Payments provides compliant POS programming, signage, and staff training to make sure your program meets card-brand rules and state requirements. For federal, card network and state rules, see Is it legal to charge a credit card fee? Rules for 2026.
With dual pricing, both prices are shown up front: a lower cash price and a higher card price. A surcharge, by contrast, adds a fee only at checkout and only for credit card transactions. Dual pricing is generally simpler for customers to understand, easier to disclose at the register, and avoids many of the state-specific restrictions that apply to credit card surcharges.
Most businesses eliminate the bulk of their monthly credit card processing fees. For example, a business processing $50,000 a month in card volume at an effective rate of 2.5% could save roughly $15,000 a year. Your actual savings depend on your current rates and monthly card volume, and our team will run a free side-by-side comparison before you go live.
Get a free, no-obligation quote tailored to your business. Our team will analyze your current rates and show you what dual pricing could look like for your business.