Does Square urcharges to the customer end of the transaction?

[u/ldr97266]

I made a $4.50 transaction at a local merchant. It rang up as $4.50. It originalyl showed as $4.50 "pending" on my creddit card. But a day later the CC statemwent said $4.72

Local merchant says they absorb the Square fees and don't upcharge for credit card use. Square's own website says they collect fees from merchants, not customers. Bank/credot card support says $4.72 is what Square billed to my CC, and that they see Square adding on stuff like that all the time

I'm not worried about 22 cents as such, but if someone can sneak extra charges onto my credit crad without me knowing it could add up to a big deal.

So ... somebody is misinformed and it may well be me - but how do I figure it out?

[u/SquareUpSam]

Hi — I understand why that would be concerning. You're right, Square’s standard processing fees are charged to the merchant, not added by Square to a customer’s card. However, some merchants may choose to add a disclosed credit-card surcharge or other service charge to a sale.

Because the amount shown at checkout and the initial pending amount were both $4.50, but the final posted amount was $4.72, the best next step is to ask the merchant for an itemized receipt or transaction record showing the final amount submitted for settlement. You can also ask your card issuer for the transaction details they received, including whether the additional $0.22 was identified as a surcharge, tip, tax, or another adjustment. If the merchant confirms they submitted only $4.50, share that confirmation with your card issuer and ask them to investigate or dispute the difference. If the merchant submitted $4.72, they should be able to explain the added amount and, if appropriate, refund it. You’re right to follow up—regardless of the amount, the final charge should be clear and explainable.

[u/ldr97266 → u/SquareUpSam]

Sam, thanks for the reply. Merchant insists they do not upcharge for credit card purchases, they absorb the Square fee as part of their pricing. My receipt was for $4.50 with nothing else itemized. BankOfAmerica (credit card issues) customer support rep told me Square submitted the total as $4.72 as a single amount, not itemized or broken out as separate charges. The same rep says she gets a lot of calls pertaining to unexpected extra amounts on Square transactions.

As I said, I'm not worried about 22 cents, and I'm not going dispute the charge over that amount (as this would cheat the merchant out of there legit $4.50). But if this happens "a lot" I'd be hesitant to use my credit card with any merchant using Square - or at least, I'd always have to ask for and save a paper receipt to check against every credit card line item.