Surcharging — Frequently Asked Questions and Troubleshooting

General

What is surcharging?

A surcharge is an additional fee added to a credit card transaction to help cover the cost of payment processing. When enabled, the fee is passed on to the guest rather than absorbed by the property. Surcharging only applies to credit cards — never to debit cards or ACH payments.

Can I surcharge an ACH payment?

No. Surcharging applies to credit card payments only.

Can I surcharge a debit card?

No. Sertifi automatically detects whether the card submitted is a credit or debit card. If a guest uses a debit card, the surcharge will not be applied — even if surcharging is enabled on the portal.

What is the maximum surcharge allowed?

Surcharge rates are subject to card network rules and vary by state. Sertifi applies the rate configured for your account during implementation. Contact Sertifi Support if you need to review or update your rate.

Does the guest see the surcharge before submitting?

Yes. When a guest submits a credit card, the surcharge amount is displayed clearly before they confirm. The guest must acknowledge the fee before the payment is processed.

Does surcharging apply to all payments automatically?

Yes — when surcharging is enabled on your portal, it applies to all credit card payments by default. Admins can turn it off on a per-payment basis during sending or from Folder Maintenance.

Troubleshooting

The surcharge checkbox is not appearing when I send a payment

Surcharging must be enabled on your portal by Sertifi during implementation. If you don't see the option, contact Sertifi Support — surcharging may not be active on your account yet.

The surcharge is not being applied even though it's enabled

• The guest may have used a debit card — surcharging never applies to debit.
• The surcharge may have been manually turned off on this specific payment.
• Check Folder Maintenance to confirm the surcharge setting for that payment request.

A guest is disputing the surcharge

Guests are shown the surcharge amount before confirming payment and must acknowledge it. If a guest disputes a surcharge charge, you can pull the transaction record from Folder Maintenance for reference. Contact Sertifi Support if you need assistance retrieving the acknowledgement record.

Surcharging stopped working after an update or portal change

Portal upgrades or gateway changes can occasionally reset surcharging settings. Contact Sertifi Support to verify your surcharging configuration is still active.

Still need help?

Contact Sertifi Support at [e-mail] with your portal name and a description of the issue.