Credit card processing and merchant services in Lowell, MA

Open a business in Lowell under a name that isn't your own, and Massachusetts law has a filing for you. Chapter 110, Section 5 requires anyone doing business under a title other than their real name to file a business certificate with the clerk of the city or town where the business is located. For a Lowell business, that's the City Clerk, and the certificate has to be renewed every four years for as long as you keep trading under that name.

Your processor cares about that name too. A merchant account application wants your legal name and the name you trade under, so have the certificate in hand before you apply. If the trading name changes later, sort out the paperwork with the City Clerk and tell your processor at the same time, so the name on your account still matches what you've filed.

Most payment rules here are statewide. Massachusetts bans credit card surcharges, so one can't go on a Lowell receipt, although a discount for paying cash or by check is lawful. Retail counters must accept cash, and taxable goods carry the 6.25% sales tax.

Without a surcharge, what each card type costs you matters more. Under the Federal Reserve's Regulation II, interchange on debit cards from issuers with $10 billion or more in assets is capped at 21 cents plus 0.05% of the sale, plus a 1-cent fraud-prevention adjustment. On a $40 sale, that's 24 cents. Network fees and the processor's markup come on top, and interchange-plus pricing lists each one. Our Durbin Amendment guide explains which debit cards the cap covers.

For a line-by-line look at your own costs, send a recent statement for a free statement review. Our Massachusetts page links the surcharge and cash statutes.