Overview

This article describes how to configure a Genius network to apply surcharges to credit card orders processed with Genius EMV, in accordance with Genius’s Credit Surcharge Program.

The Credit Surcharge Program enables businesses to reduce their credit card processing expenses by applying a surcharge of 3% to purchases made with a credit card (excluding PIN debit, signature debit and prepaid card transactions). Genius has built a smart surcharge feature into our terminal application to automate the process. A small fee is assessed to the business to offset the costs of a surcharge program, but this fee is more than offset by the additional revenue earned by businesses on each purchase. The Credit Surcharge Program benefits merchants by keeping their prices and payment options competitive so they can retain more revenue on purchases.

Location Requirements

For Next Gen POS:

Must run Genius v2.16 APK or higher.
Must use Verifone T650P or T650C device.
Must process credit cards via Genius.

For IOS POS:

Must run Genius v9.55 or higher.
Must use Verifone T650P or T650C device.
Must process credit cards via Genius.

Device level settings:

The Verifone devices must run Pay App version 2.18g or higher and have Surcharge enabled at the device level. The settings are:

Surcharge Fee %= 3%
Minimum Surcharge Amount= 0

To enable these settings, contact Genius POS support or Genius SIP support.

Limitations

If a location uses the following features or transaction types with Genius POS, it is not eligible for the surcharge feature:

IOS POS V1 Internal Surcharge is not supported with Mobile 2.0. Only Credit Surcharge Program through Genius can be utilized.
Pre-authorization transactions and capture transactions are not supported. Customers must use sale and modify transactions to be eligible.
Partial approval payments are also not currently supported.

For example, if a customer has a transaction total of $10.00, the POS adds a 3% surcharge fee, making the ticket total $10.35. If the customer’s form of payment cannot cover the full total of the $10.35 ticket, then the transaction will be declined (“Insufficient Funds”) and the customer will need to provide another form of payment.

Processing Restrictions and Requirements

Must run Genius Pay App version 2.18e or higher.
Genius only allows exactly 3% surcharge to be charged, with no exceptions.
Genius Pay App identifies eligible cards based on App ID only.
Surcharges cannot be levied on non-EMV, debit, prepaid, EBT, gift cards, or fall back transactions.
Surcharging is not allowed in all states. It is currently prohibited in Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts. Also, California requires surcharges to be applied post-tax, which Genius does not support.
Surcharges must apply to all credit transactions and card brands within a single business.
Surcharges must be shown on the receipt.
The location must have signage disclosing the surcharge at the points of entry and acceptance. It is the responsibility of the merchant to post this signage.
The location must have legal agreements signed and returned to Genius RM.

POS Onboarding

Merchants must be processing with Genius Payments and have an active MID.

Dealer confirms Genius version supports Surcharging.
Dealer refers the merchant to certified RM for Surcharging through the Stronger Together program.
RM discusses fees and waivers with merchant.
RM submits Surcharge Onboarding documents.
Maintenance processes Surcharge Onboarding request.
SIP Support team enables Surcharging for existing devices, and/or once Hardware order is received, sends Pay APP download version to devices placing an order for Surcharge Collateral.
Hardware sends a package with signage and Surcharge collateral for the merchant to display on premise.
Dealer enables receipt changes in the POS to display Surcharging disclaimer.
Receipt Disclaimer: “A Surcharge of $X.XX may be added to this transaction if you use a credit card.”
Merchant is live with Surcharge.

Off-Boarding the Surcharge Program

All off-boarding is completed by Genius Processing. Dealers are only responsible for disabling the receipt Surcharge disclaimer within the POS.

Merchant contacts Processing Customer Advocate Team to request Surcharge to be disabled.
Customer Advocate notifies Maintenance via email to remove Surcharge from the MID.
Customer Advocate informs Merchant that Surcharge will be disabled within 24-48 hours.
Maintenance notifies SIP Support Team of Surcharge cancellation request.
SIP Support Team updates file build to disable Surcharge.
Merchant/Dealer disables receipt Surcharge disclaimer in the POS.
Merchant/Dealer can use the Downloader app or utilize the Heartbeat feature to update the file build.
Surcharge is disabled within the Servicing Site and POS, and the additional Surcharge fees are removed from the MID.

Setup Instructions

To use the credit surcharge feature, you must have an addendum on file and work with Genius POS Support or Genius SIP Support to ensure the Mobile POS device is configured properly to activate the Surcharge program. The device will be configured to apply a 3% surcharge to eligible transactions and a new update will be sent to the device to make these changes.

The Mobile 2.0 device must be utilizing version 2.18e and have the following parameters configured for Surcharge to function properly.

Surcharge Fee %= 3%
Minimum Surcharge Amount= 0

If you have any questions about this, or require assistance verifying settings, please contact POS Support or Product Ops Integration.

Configuring the POS to Use Surcharges

The following procedures assume you have already configured the location’s payment gateway, selected its appropriate EMV solution, and entered all necessary settings for credit card processing.

Adding the Surcharge Clause to Customer Receipts

The surcharge feature is enabled and uploaded to the device by the SIP team. You cannot enable it in the Admin Console. However, before the location can use the surcharge feature, you must configure its customer receipts to include a message alerting customers to possible surcharges.

In the Admin Console’s Main Menu, click Location Setup, then click Customer Receipt.
In the Customer Receipt screen, select the Show Surcharge Clause check box.
When you select the Show Surcharge Clause check box, the Credit Surcharge Amount box displays below it.
If necessary, enter the accurate surcharge percentage amount in the Credit Surcharge Amount box.
If you enter a percentage amount in this box, the POS will use that amount as the “Surcharge fee” that appears in the printed surcharge clause. (Its default amount now is 3%.)
Click Save.

The POS will include a message on printed customer receipts alerting customers that a surcharge might be added to the total if they pay with a credit card.

If a customer does pay a check with a credit card, the POS will include the amount of the surcharge, clearly labeled as “Surcharge fee”, in the printed receipt.

Using Surcharges in the POS

At the Checkout screen, when the customer begins the payment process, the POS prints a receipt that includes the order details and the warning clause.

The customer inserts, taps, or swipes a card.
If the card is a credit card with an EMV chip, the device applies the surcharge.
If the card is a debit card, gift card, EBT card, or credit card with no EMV chip, the device processes the transaction without applying a surcharge.

The device prompts the customer to Continue to Process the payment.

If the customer taps Continue to Process, the device processes the transaction and prints the receipt. If the device applied a surcharge to the ticket, the receipt will include the surcharge amount.

Surcharge Setup Guide for Pay App with Verifone T650

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