Should hotels have the option to apply credit card surcharges within Mews / Stripe?

Thats interesting, I have suggested that for Mews before as we all know they are charging the hotels quite hefty creditcard fees. I have seen this for many services, for instance sports events, concerts, and airline fares. Its placing the cost where it belongs. Its the hotels and vendors that are paying for the creditcards loyality programs and bonuses. 

​@Ådne 

To keep the discussion clear as we move forward, please ensure you distinguish between the following:

Credit card surcharge fee – a fee added on top of the purchase amount, applicable only to certain card types (this is the functionality currently unavailable).
Transaction fee – the processing fee charged on the total amount, including any surcharges.

Many hotels apply a credit card surcharge to offset or “recuperate” transaction fees.

It’s important to note that transaction fees are not set by Mews or Stripe; they represent the actual cost of transferring funds from a guest’s credit card, through Mews or Stripe (or another payment provider), to the card issuer (for example, American Express) or the card-issuing bank. These banks typically pay a branding fee to Mastercard or Visa before the funds ultimately reach your hotel’s bank account.

Hello!

In the EU in B2C segment this is mostly prohibited, except for non-EU issued cards.

In B2B it might be legally possible, but how do you explain that to your business guests? They will have questions and demands ;-) (one big corporate client of ours insists in Amex Payments ..). Now, most of the time business rates are lower than consumer rates to begin with … you will have to or want to at least inform them of the exact cost of the transaction beforehand (but it must not be higher that the actual cost). So, how can you possibly do this ? I mean right now, do you know the exact cost of each transsaction at the time of the transaction? I don’t. It takes a while to settle the charge, then you have to analyse the reports, and then you might come up with a number...

Stripe Info:

https://support.stripe.com/questions/scope-of-the-surcharge-ban-under-psd2-for-b2c-and-b2b-payments?locale=en-US

So, I guess this is not easily doable, except in unregulated markets where you can charge whatever you come up with :-) But maybe we can get the EU to regulate B2B segment as well to limit transaction cost like for EU-B2C cards… well, just wishfull thinking, I guess ;-)

I think it would be more important to get more transparency and competition for integrated payment gateways, so that we can chose the payment provider without limiting functionality in MEWS. 

Regards,

Jean-Philipp.

​@j.spiess 

Exactly - and that is why I specifically stated “applicable to specific card types.”

Most surcharges are a percentage of the total transaction amount, and there are clear guidelines governing how these should be applied. As you rightly point out, surcharging is prohibited for EU-issued consumer cards, but remains permissible for non-EU and certain B2B transactions, provided the fee does not exceed the actual processing cost.

You’re absolutely right that the practical challenge lies in knowing the exact cost at the time of the transaction. Since transaction fees vary depending on the card issuer, currency, and intermediary banks, it’s nearly impossible to determine the precise cost instantly. This is why many hotels either apply an average fixed percentage for eligible card types or choose not to surcharge at all, instead absorbing the cost into their pricing strategy.

I fully agree with your final point - what’s truly needed is greater transparency and competition among integrated payment gateways, allowing hotels to select their preferred provider without sacrificing functionality in Mews. That would do far more for the industry than any theoretical surcharge workaround.

I realise I may have stirred the pot a little, but I still believe it’s important to continuously assess the needs of our client hotels and understand how they perceive different aspects of their operations and their ability to drive a positive bottom line.

love the topic ​@N.HALL Consulting ; we have also been actively asking MEWS to provide us with a better answer than the ‘development would outweigh demand'.. 

basically, if a guest wants to collect points; they can - but they will need to pay for the increase of amount in transactional expense. Perhaps somebody from the payments team can share some insights? 

​@mauritsbots - Remember to vote… 

Did that the first time already ofcourse :-)

​@nstockman ​@ReservationsFashion ​@Kayleigh  

A friend of mine works for AMEX and told me that none of the major credit card companies allow this — just as they don’t allow applying a higher currency conversion rate than the EU standard.

In my opinion, this is simply a sneaky way for business owners to try to compensate for the credit card commission they wouldn’t have had to pay if cash were used.

I live in Sweden and Spain. This summer I paid with Amex at a restaurant and when checking my statement they charged me apart from the cost an Amex "top up" fee for 2 Euros 😪

I called Amex and within 3 weeks they were cut off accepting Amex cards.

As a hotel owner and a consumer, I strongly oppose this.

​@Mark Alexander Joel do you feel (as owner) comfortable and fine by paying for the points and perks these consumers gain, that they will most likely never enjoy at your property? 

There is nothing wrong with taking some expenses to receive more or better value later on (like loyalty schemes usually work) but simply accepting this ‘as is’ is not my preferred route. 

The fact that AMEX cuts off a business who is trying to keep their books in order and to gain something back from these exhorbitant transaction expenses makes my opinion even stronger. (the restaurant however should have informed you about this, or at least ask you if you had another card to be used)

Hi there, It’s part of the deal you sign up for when accepting credit cards. All cards have a points/mileage program. Besides, Amex guests generally spend about 30% more than others, so I don’t see why their business model should bother me.

Following your reasoning, we should also add an extra room fee for Expedia and Booking guests. The points their guests earn are simply part of the commission we pay — it’s all part of the business model.

I definitely wouldn’t want to go back to a cash-only society with all the downsides that entails (money laundering and criminal activity). In fact, we don’t accept cash at all — most hotels and shops and restaurants in the Nordics don’t.

If I’m unhappy with the commission costs, I either try and negotiate (Amex is their own entity) or adjust my room rates to cover them.

Have a nice day!

Agreed.
And with OTA’s we do. Fine to pay commission but better to book direct. 

Hey all! I wanted to fill in I might have had old information before. I read this interesting article on Reuters about courts in the US forcing creditcard companies to lower their commission and to make it able to in the future add surcharges for specific cards:

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/visa-mastercard-reach-revised-swipe-fee-settlement-with-merchants-2025-11-10/

interesting development! thanks for sharing