Connecticut Credit Card Surcharge Law
Connecticut credit card surcharge law bans surcharging outright. No dealership operating in Connecticut can add a surcharge to a card transaction, full stop, no cap, no workaround. The ban covers every sale and lease in the state, and the state enforces it with civil penalties.
Connecticut Bans Credit Card Surcharging
One of only three states with a flat statutory ban. As of July 2026, it is actively enforced.
Connecticut is one of three states, alongside Maine and Massachusetts, where credit card surcharging is banned outright. The ban is written directly into state statute, not agency guidance, and it is not a dead letter: Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection enforces it with civil penalties, and no court has struck it down. A dealership that adds a credit card surcharge in Connecticut is not skirting a gray area. It is breaking the law.
The ban sits at Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-133ff, most recently amended by Public Act 24-142 in 2024, which broadened its coverage to all sales and leases and formalized DCP's enforcement authority. As of July 2026, that statute is in force statewide with no exceptions for auto dealerships.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Status | Banned |
| Cap | Not applicable, surcharging is prohibited |
| State statute | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-133ff |
| Card network caps | Never come into play, the state ban comes first |
Connecticut is the exception, not the rule: surcharging is legal in the other 47 states. The Visa and Mastercard surcharge caps that govern those states never come into play here, because state law prohibits the surcharge before any network rule matters. See the full table at credit card surcharge laws by state.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-133ff, Enforced Today
What the ban actually covers, and how it got broader in 2024.
Connecticut's ban on credit card surcharges lives at Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-133ff. The statute treats a surcharge as any additional charge or fee that increases the total amount of a transaction because of the method of payment used. Public Act 24-142 amended it effective June 6, 2024, broadening it to cover all sales and leases and formalizing the Department of Consumer Protection's enforcement authority.
The Ban Reaches Every Department
A card fee on a service RO, a parts counter ticket, or a vehicle deal in F&I all count as surcharges under the statute. Public Act 24-142 made the reach explicit: every sale and every lease in the state.
What a Violation Costs
A real enforcement agency, real penalties, and exposure that goes past the fine.
Enforcement runs through the Department of Consumer Protection, which can impose civil penalties of up to $500 per violation after notice and a hearing. A violation is also an unfair trade practice under CUTPA, the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. That exposes a dealership to Attorney General action and private lawsuits, including class actions, for damages and attorney's fees.
The ban has held up. As of July 2026, no court has struck the statute down, and Connecticut was not part of the litigation that ended surcharge bans in California, Florida, and Texas.
What This Means at the Counter
In Connecticut, the counter runs on a different rule than most of the country.
A Connecticut dealership cannot add a credit card surcharge to a repair order, a parts sale, or a vehicle transaction. Every department of the store runs under the same rule: sales, service, parts, F&I, body shop. No card fee at any counter, and no percentage line tied to card payment on any receipt.
That does not put Connecticut stores outside what we do. Dealerships are all we do, and surcharging is one part of the program. We set up dealership card processing for Connecticut stores without it. Book a demo and see what that looks like for your store. For how the program works where surcharging is legal, see the surcharge program page or the step by step on the how it works page.
Straight Answers on Connecticut Rules
No. Connecticut bans credit card surcharges outright under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 42-133ff. It is one of only three states with a flat ban, alongside Maine and Massachusetts.
No. The card network caps only matter where state law allows surcharging. Connecticut law prohibits the surcharge before any network rule comes into play, so there is no cap to work under. The ban is the whole rule.
The Department of Consumer Protection can impose civil penalties up to $500 per violation after notice and a hearing. A violation is also an unfair trade practice under CUTPA, which exposes a dealership to Attorney General action and private lawsuits for damages and attorney's fees.
No. As of July 2026, no court has struck the statute down, and Connecticut was not part of the litigation that ended surcharge bans in California, Florida, and Texas. The ban remains in force statewide.
Debit, prepaid, and gift cards can never carry a surcharge anywhere in the country, under card network rules. Connecticut's statute goes further and bans credit card surcharges too. For pricing and program questions beyond state law, see the FAQ page.
Straight Answers on Connecticut
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