Credit card processing and merchant services in Mississippi

Mississippi's regular retail sales tax rate is 7%. The Department of Revenue says all sales of tangible personal property are taxed at that rate unless the law exempts the item or sets a reduced rate for it. That second clause is the one to plan around: if you sell anything with a reduced rate, your POS needs its own tax code for it, tested before you open, because a till that charges 7% on everything will overcharge somebody.

Mississippi has no surcharge statute that we know of, so the card networks set the limits. Visa caps a surcharge at 3% or your merchant discount rate, Mastercard at 4% or your average effective rate, and neither allows one on debit or prepaid cards. You'd post the fee at the entrance and the register and print it on the receipt.

With tax at 7% before any fee, a surcharge stacks up fast at the counter. On a $200 sale the tax is $14, and a 3% surcharge on the price adds another $6. That's $20 on top of the sticker, and customers see every dollar of it. We'd look at what you pay to accept cards before adding a fee, and a cash discount is another route; our post on dual pricing vs surcharging compares the two.

Clearo prices on interchange-plus with no long-term contract, so you can see what each card type costs before choosing. Debit is usually the cheapest card you take, and a free statement review shows whether your current plan reflects that.