text: visa or mastercard credit charge surcharge on purchases-is it still prohibited by banks? it used to be many years ago that a merchant could not charge a credit card purchaser extra, i.e., he could not 'discriminate' against someone using a credit card by trying to recoup part or all of the fee the banks charge.  i was about to make a purchase at a store when i was told that visa/mastercard purchases have a 3% surcharge, but debit card purchases incur no such fee.  i believe years ago i read that in the agreement that the merchant signs with the bank which processes their credit card receipts, they sign an agreement not to charge or treat purchasers different.  does anyone know what can be done about merchants that do this?  thanks this is not allowed by mastercard or visa. report this to your credit card company and the business will be reprimanded.  also, as an fyi, note that a business can offer a cash discount but not a cerdit card surcharge.