Oklahoma to permit credit card surcharging effective November 1, 2025 – expanding options for both Oklahoma merchants and merchants serving Oklahoma customers

After years of legal uncertainty, Oklahoma has officially joined the majority of U.S. states in allowing credit card surcharging. Starting November 1, 2025, businesses in Oklahoma can legally add surcharges to credit card transactions – but only if they follow specific rules and requirements.

Understanding these requirements and implementing them correctly is essential to avoid costly penalties, disputes, and customer unhappiness.

Oklahoma’s new surcharging rules

Oklahoma’s new amendment to Section 2-211 establishes three core requirements that businesses must follow:

• Credit cards only: Surcharges can only be applied to credit card transactions. Debit cards, cash, checks, and other payment methods cannot be surcharged and must remain available to customers as no-fee alternatives.
• 2% maximum cap: Surcharges cannot exceed the lesser of 2% of the transaction amount or the actual cost of processing that specific card type. This means businesses must calculate and document their true processing costs to avoid violations.
• Comprehensive disclosure: Customers must be informed of surcharges before committing to purchase. This includes visible signage at business entrances, clear disclosure at point-of-sale terminals, homepage notices for online businesses, and verbal disclosure for phone orders.

What this means for businesses in and outside Oklahoma

This change impacts not only businesses physically operating in Oklahoma, but also any merchant across the U.S. that processes transactions with Oklahoma customers. Starting November 1, 2025, both groups can legally surcharge credit card transactions tied to Oklahoma cardholders – if they comply with all applicable requirements:

• Proper registration and notification requirements (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)
• Ongoing regulatory monitoring
• Customer communication best practices

Getting ready for November 1st

Implementing surcharging successfully requires coordination across finance, operations, legal, and customer experience:

1. Financial preparation: Analyze actual processing costs by card type and transaction size to ensure surcharge amounts stay within state and network limits.
2. Operational setup: Configure POS systems, update online checkout flows, train staff, prepare required signage, and modify customer notices.
3. Monitoring: Complete card brand registrations, implement proper disclosure protocols, and establish ongoing monitoring procedures to stay aligned with evolving regulations.
4. Customer communication: Provide clear, upfront disclosure of surcharges at checkout, in receipts, and through any required signage. For businesses with stored payment methods (i.e., recurring subscriptions), provide advance written notice to existing customers before implementing surcharges on their stored cards, including the surcharge amount and alternative payment options to avoid the fee. While not legally required, some businesses also choose to explain the rationale (covering rising processing costs rather than raising prices across the board) to maintain goodwill and trust.

The consequences of getting surcharging wrong can be severe – including hefty fines, damaged customer relationships, and potential loss of payment processing privileges. That’s where comprehensive solutions designed for compliant surcharging like YeeldPay and Yeeld Surcharging API become invaluable, ensuring businesses can take advantage of new opportunities like Oklahoma’s law change.

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Thinking about adding surcharging in Oklahoma? With the new rules taking effect on November 1, Yeeld helps you stay fully compliant while optimizing your cost recovery so you can launch with confidence.

Contact us at sales@theyeeld.com to get started.