Credit card processing and merchant services in Jersey City, NJ
A Jersey City restaurant that surcharges credit cards has to say so on the menu and before online checkout, and the fee cannot top its real processing cost.
If you run a restaurant in Jersey City and want to add a credit card surcharge, New Jersey law starts with the menu. P.L. 2023, c. 146 requires restaurants to disclose a surcharge in the customer service area and on the menu, and to tell online, app and kiosk customers before checkout. Phone orders need a verbal heads-up. The fee itself can't be more than what you actually pay to process the card, and Visa and Mastercard keep it off debit and prepaid cards altogether.
That's a lot of menus. The 2022 Economic Census counted $907.7 million in accommodation and food services sales in Jersey City, along with $3.98 billion in retail sales, and the Census Bureau estimates the city had 302,013 residents on July 1, 2025.
The state's cash rule splits along your order channels. In-person retail sales have to accept cash, and a seller can't require credit. Orders by phone, mail or internet aren't covered, so a kitchen that only takes app orders is in a different position from a counter that serves walk-ins.
Jersey City is also an Urban Enterprise Zone municipality. A UEZ-certified business collects 3.3125% instead of 6.625% on most qualifying sales of tangible goods at its zone location, so ask the program about certification before you assume the lower rate applies to you.
For online orders, our online payments cover hosted checkout and gateway integration, with fraud screening through AVS, CVV checks and velocity rules. The New Jersey page has the full surcharge statute, our restaurant payment guide is a good next read, and a free statement review will show the actual cost you'd be allowed to pass on.
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Common questions
Where does a Jersey City restaurant have to disclose a credit card surcharge?
In the customer service area and on the menu, under P.L. 2023, c. 146. If you take orders online, in an app or at a kiosk, the surcharge has to be disclosed before checkout, and phone customers have to be told verbally. In every case, the disclosure comes before the customer incurs any charge.
Do Jersey City delivery and online orders have to accept cash?
No. New Jersey's cash law covers in-person retail transactions and excludes telephone, mail and internet-based sales. A walk-in counter has to take cash; an order placed and paid through your website or app does not.
Can a Jersey City business collect the reduced UEZ sales tax?
Possibly. Jersey City is on the list of Urban Enterprise Zone municipalities, but the 3.3125% rate is only for businesses certified in the program, on most qualifying sales of tangible personal property made at their zone location. Without certification, charge the standard 6.625%.
Can I surcharge debit cards in Jersey City?
No. Visa and Mastercard rules don't allow surcharges on debit or prepaid cards, and New Jersey's law caps a credit card surcharge at your actual cost to process the payment. Your POS has to apply the fee to credit cards only.
What can a Jersey City restaurant do about card costs without a surcharge?
Start with the rate you're paying. If your statement rolls interchange and markup into one blended rate, you can't tell what the processor keeps. On interchange-plus pricing you see each card's network cost and our margin as separate lines, with no long-term contract or cancellation fee. A free statement review shows whether you're overpaying today.
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Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
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