A plain-English guide

Why are there two prices here?

If a sign, a label, or a card at the register pointed you here — here’s the short, honest answer. This store shows two prices: a lower one for cash and another for card. You simply choose which you prefer.

How it works Read the FAQ
Takes about a minute to read
The short version

Two prices are posted — a lower cash price and a card price. The difference covers what it costs the store to accept cards. Want the lower price? Pay with cash.

Shelf price
House Cold Brew · 16 oz
CASH PRICE
$4.25
Lower price
CARD PRICE
$4.40
Both prices shown before you pay.
How it works

What dual pricing actually is

01

Two prices are shown

Each item — or your total — shows a cash price and a card price, side by side.

02

Cash is the lower price

The cash price is lower because it skips the cost of card processing.

03

You choose at the register

Pay with cash for the lower price, or by card for the convenience. Your call.

What it looks like at the register
Item
Cash
Card
House Cold Brew
$4.25
$4.40
Avocado Toast
$9.50
$9.88
Daily Soup
$5.75
$5.98
The cash price is always the lower of the two — you choose at checkout.

Why does the store do this?

Accepting cards isn’t free — the store pays a fee on every card sale. Showing both prices lets you decide for yourself, instead of building that cost into a single price for everyone.

Is this allowed?

Yes. Stores can offer a lower cash price as long as both prices are clearly displayed before you pay — which is exactly what you’ll see here.

Questions, answered

How do I get the lower price?
Pay with cash. The cash price is the lower of the two.
Where can I see both prices?
Right where you’d expect — on the shelf label, the menu, or at the register. Both the cash and card price are shown before you pay, so there are no surprises.
Will my receipt show which price I paid?
Yes. Your receipt is itemized with the exact price for the way you paid — the cash price if you paid cash, the card price if you paid by card.
Is this the same thing gas stations do?
Pretty much. Gas stations have posted separate cash and credit prices for years — more shops and restaurants now offer the same simple choice.
Is paying by card a problem?
Not at all. The card price is there for convenience — plenty of people happily choose it.
Is my card still safe?
Completely. Dual pricing changes the posted price only — not how your payment is handled or protected.
Seeing something different?

A single price, with a fee added for card?

That’s a different approach called a surcharge, where one price is shown and a small fee is added to card payments. We explain it on our sister site.

For business owners

Interested in dual pricing for your business?

If you run a store and want to offer clear, compliant dual pricing, tell us a bit about your business and we’ll be in touch.

Two clear prices your customers can see at a glance.
Set up to stay within the card networks’ rules.
A real person to help you get started.
Tell us about your business
Fields marked * are required.
We’ll only use your details to follow up about your inquiry.
Thanks — we’ve got it.

Your inquiry is on its way to our team. We’ll follow up at {{ sentEmail }} shortly.

Checkout Clarity
Surcharge instead? → surcharging.info
An independent educational resource. Not affiliated with any card network. © 2026.