How to Apply for a Dual Pricing POS System for Your Store (With Coastal Pay’s 2-Minute Approval)

Let’s Define What Dual Pricing Really Is (and How It Works in Your Store)

Dual pricing is a payment pricing model where your store displays two prices for the same product or service: one price for customers who pay by card, and a lower price for customers who pay by cash or ACH. The card price is set to include the processing cost, so the merchant nets the same amount regardless of how the customer pays.

How It Looks at the Counter

On a customer-facing POS screen, two prices appear before the customer selects a payment method:

• Card price: $52.00 (includes processing cost)
• Cash/ACH price: $50.00 (no processing cost)

The customer chooses their preferred method. The receipt shows both prices and the amount charged. No hidden fee. No post-payment surprise. Full transparency before payment is made.

How Dual Pricing Differs From Surcharging and Cash Discounting

• Dual pricing: Two prices posted before payment selection. Legal in all 50 U.S. states with proper disclosure signage.
• Surcharging: One base price, with a fee added when the customer selects a card. Permitted federally but restricted in some states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oklahoma).
• Cash discounting: A marketing label sometimes applied to programs that are functionally either dual pricing or surcharging. The label alone does not determine compliance.

Quick Examples by Business Type

• Retail: A $50.00 item shows as $50.00 cash and $52.00 card on the POS screen and shelf tag
• Restaurant: A $22.00 entree shows as $22.00 cash and $22.88 card on the terminal customer display
• Service business: A $300 service quote is presented as $300 cash and $309 card in the email invoice or payment link

Coastal Pay’s dual pricing program is built to connect to 2,000+ POS and software integrations, so merchants can apply the program to their existing POS without rebuilding their tech stack.

Here’s Why Store Owners Are Switching to Dual Pricing Instead of Paying Card Fees

Card processing fees are one of the largest controllable operating costs for most retail, restaurant, and service businesses – and unlike rent or labor, they scale directly with revenue. As your sales grow, so does what you pay to process them.

The Math for a Typical Small Retailer

A retailer processing $30,000/month at a standard 2.9% + $0.30 rate with 600 transactions pays approximately:

• Processing fees: $870 + $180 = $1,050/month
• Annual processing cost: $12,600/year

With Coastal Pay dual pricing properly configured:

• Card-paying customers pay the card price (which includes the processing cost)
• Merchant effective processing cost: approximately $0/month
• Annual savings: up to $12,600/year

Why Dual Pricing Beats Traditional Processing and Surcharging for Most Stores

Modern Payment Methods Are Still Supported

A common concern with dual pricing is that it might discourage card usage. In practice, most customers continue paying by card at the card price once they see both options. Importantly, Coastal Pay dual pricing supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, and contactless tap-to-pay at the card price, so merchants do not sacrifice modern payment method acceptance to eliminate fees.

What Do You Need Before You Start an Application?

Coastal Pay’s instant boarding application takes approximately 2 minutes for most merchants who have their information ready before starting. Here is everything to prepare beforehand.

Required Business Information

• Legal business name: As registered with your state, including any DBA if applicable
• Federal EIN (or SSN for sole proprietors)
• Business address and phone number
• Owner information: Full legal name, date of birth, home address, SSN (for identity verification only – not stored in processed form)
• Business bank account details: Routing number and account number for settlement deposits

Processing Information That Speeds Approval

• Estimated monthly card volume (rough is fine – $5,000 to $10,000, $10,000 to $50,000, etc.)
• Average transaction size (under $25, $25 to $100, $100 to $500, above $500)
• Percentage of card-present vs card-not-present transactions
• Business type (retail, restaurant, service, online, mixed)

Dual Pricing Setup Decision to Make Before Applying

Decide in advance how you want to display dual pricing in your store:

• Terminal display: Two prices appear on the customer-facing terminal screen at checkout (most common)
• Shelf/menu tags: Products or menu items tagged with both cash and card prices
• Receipt only: Both prices shown on the receipt with the applicable payment method labeled

Coastal Pay’s team helps configure the technical display after approval. But knowing your preference in advance makes the setup call faster.

Ready to apply? If you have the above information, you can complete the Coastal Pay instant boarding form in approximately 2 minutes. Most standard-risk U.S. businesses receive approval immediately.

Where Do You Actually Apply for a Dual Pricing POS System With Coastal Pay?

You do not apply for dual pricing as a separate product. You apply for Coastal Pay’s payment processing, and dual pricing is configured as part of your account setup. The same short application covers processing, dual pricing, and POS integration – there is no separate dual pricing form, no second underwriting process, and no additional approval step.

Where to Click on the Coastal Pay Site

1. Navigate to coastalpay.com
2. Click “Get Started” in the main navigation (top right) or the primary CTA on the homepage
3. Alternatively, navigate to coastalpay.com/dual-pricing and click the application link on that page
4. Complete the short instant boarding form with your business and bank information
5. Receive your approval decision – typically in approximately 2 minutes for standard-risk U.S. businesses

Apply for a Dual Pricing POS System Now

What the Application Covers

• Your merchant account (backed by Wells Fargo and Axiom Bank)
• Access to the Coastal Pay Gateway at $0/month
• Dual pricing program configuration for your specific setup
• Connection to your existing POS or selection of a compatible terminal
• Alternative payment methods: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, PayPal, Klarna, Afterpay, ACH, and Coinbase – all included at the same flat rate

If You Don’t Have a POS Yet

Coastal Pay’s 2,000+ software integration directory includes major retail POS platforms (Lightspeed, Revel, NCR), restaurant POS systems (Toast-compatible integrations), and thousands of vertical-specific tools. If you are starting from scratch, Coastal Pay’s team can recommend a compatible POS option based on your business type, average ticket, and transaction volume during the setup call.

How Does Coastal Pay’s 2-Minute Approval and Setup Process Work?

Step 1: Submit the Instant Boarding Form (approximately 2 minutes)

The form collects your business name, EIN or SSN, owner information, business bank account, estimated monthly volume, and average ticket size. An automated risk review runs in real time. Most standard-risk U.S. businesses receive an approval decision immediately after submission.

Step 2: Account Creation and Gateway Access

Upon approval, your Coastal Pay merchant account is created and you receive access to the Coastal Pay Gateway dashboard. The gateway includes the virtual terminal, payment link generator, email invoicing, and reporting at $0/month.

Step 3: Dual Pricing Configuration Call

A Coastal Pay team member contacts you (or you call 888-266-1715 directly) to configure the dual pricing program for your specific setup:

• Confirm the card-to-cash price differential percentage (typically 3% to 4%)
• Configure terminal or POS to display both prices on the customer-facing screen
• Set the receipt wording to comply with card brand disclosure requirements
• Confirm required signage placement (entrance and POS counter)
• Confirm debit card handling (dual pricing is typically applied to credit cards; debit handling varies by setup)

Step 4: POS Integration

If your existing POS is in Coastal Pay’s integration directory, the team configures the gateway connection. If your POS is processor-agnostic hardware, it can often be reprogrammed to route through Coastal Pay without hardware replacement. If you need new hardware, Coastal Pay recommends compatible NFC terminals that support dual pricing display.

Step 5: Staff Briefing and Test Transaction

Before going live, run a test transaction to confirm both prices display correctly, the receipt shows the right language, and settlement routes to your bank account. Brief your team on the one-sentence customer explanation and confirm signage is posted at your entrance and counter.

Timeline Summary

• Application approval: approximately 2 minutes
• Simple setup (existing compatible POS): same day or next business day
• New hardware setup: 2 to 5 business days for delivery and programming
• Multi-location or custom integration: 3 to 7 business days

What Questions Should You Ask Before Choosing Any Dual Pricing Provider?

Not all dual pricing programs are built the same. Before signing with any provider, use this checklist to protect yourself from compliance risk, long contract terms, and hidden fees.

Compliance Questions

• “Is your dual pricing program fully compliant with Visa and Mastercard card brand rules, including required signage and receipt wording?”
• “Does your program show two prices upfront (dual pricing) or add a fee line after the card is selected (surcharging)? Does this matter in my state?”
• “Do you provide the required disclosure signage for my store entrance and POS counter as part of setup?”
• “How do you handle debit card transactions under dual pricing?”

Coastal Pay answers: Yes to compliance. Yes to signage. Dual pricing (two prices shown upfront) is the default, legal in all 50 states. Debit card handling is configured at setup per card brand rules.

Economic Questions

• “What is the flat or effective rate for card transactions under dual pricing?”
• “Is there a separate monthly gateway fee, statement fee, or PCI fee on top of processing?”
• “What is the contract term and early termination fee?”
• “Are there hardware purchase or lease requirements?”

Coastal Pay answers: Flat 2.5% + $0.15 processing rate. $0 monthly gateway fee. No PCI surcharge. No separate statement fee. Standard agreement terms without excessive ETF. Hardware requirements vary by existing setup.

Technology Questions

• “Does your dual pricing program connect to my current POS? Which integration method?”
• “Does it support my e-commerce cart for online dual pricing?”
• “Can I switch from dual pricing to standard processing or surcharging later if I choose to?”

Coastal Pay answers: 2,000+ POS and software integrations. E-commerce checkout dual pricing supported. Program configuration can be changed by contacting support at 888-266-1715.

Here’s What to Expect Once Your Dual Pricing POS Is Live

What Customers See at Checkout

At a Coastal Pay-configured POS terminal, the customer-facing screen displays both prices before the customer selects a payment method. No surprise appears at payment. The receipt shows both the card price and the cash price with the applicable payment method labeled. This transparency is the primary compliance requirement and the primary customer experience benefit of dual pricing versus surcharging.

Simple Staff Script for Customer Questions

Most customers will not ask about dual pricing once they see the two prices on the screen. For those who do, staff can use:

“We offer a small discount for cash and bank payments. Card payments are $X and cash or bank payments are $Y. Which would work better for you?”

Required Signage

Card brand rules require posted signage at your store entrance and point of sale disclosing the dual pricing program. Coastal Pay provides compliant signage templates as part of the setup process. Signage must be visible before the customer commits to a purchase. Digital POS displays showing both prices at checkout also fulfill the disclosure requirement for in-store transactions.

Tracking Your Savings in the Coastal Pay Dashboard

The Coastal Pay Gateway dashboard shows your payment mix (cards vs cash) and effective processing rate in real time. After your first month live, compare your total processing fees to your previous month under traditional pricing. Most merchants see a 70% to 95% reduction in effective processing costs depending on their card-to-cash payment mix.

Adjustments After Launch

If you want to adjust the card-to-cash price differential after launch, update signage language, or change how prices are displayed on the customer screen, contact Coastal Pay support at 888-266-1715 or submit a Helpdesk ticket. Most configuration adjustments are made within one business day.

Ready to Stop Paying Card Fees? Apply for Dual Pricing in 2 Minutes

What You Get With Coastal Pay Dual Pricing

• Effective 0% processing cost when card-paying customers pay the card price
• Full modern payment method support – Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, PayPal, Klarna, Afterpay, ACH, and cards all accepted
• 2-minute instant approval for most standard-risk U.S. businesses
• 2,000+ POS and software integrations – keep your existing system in most cases
• $0 monthly gateway fee – no overhead before the first transaction
• Compliant signage, receipt language, and terminal configuration provided as part of setup
• U.S.-based support at 888-266-1715 for setup and ongoing questions

Industries Coastal Pay Dual Pricing Serves

Retail shops, restaurants and cafes, auto dealers and service centers, hospitality and hotels, professional services and coaching, healthcare and medical practices, travel agencies, and B2B distributors. If your business accepts card payments and has customers who can pay by cash or bank transfer, dual pricing is worth evaluating.

Apply for Dual Pricing POS Now

Get Approved in 2 Minutes

Questions first? Call: 888-266-1715

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I apply for a dual pricing POS system for my store?

You apply with a payment processor that supports a compliant dual pricing program. With Coastal Pay, you complete the instant boarding application at coastalpay.com (click Get Started or visit the Dual Pricing page), which covers processing, dual pricing, and POS integration in one short form. Most standard-risk U.S. businesses receive approval in approximately 2 minutes. Coastal Pay then configures the dual pricing settings and connects the program to your existing or new POS through its 2,000+ integration directory.

Is dual pricing legal for my store?

Dual pricing is legal in all 50 U.S. states when properly implemented with required disclosure signage and compliant receipt language. It differs from surcharging (which has state-level restrictions) because dual pricing presents two prices upfront rather than adding a fee after the fact. Coastal Pay configures dual pricing setups to meet card brand rules and applicable state requirements, and monitors regulatory changes to keep merchant configurations current.

Can I use my existing POS with Coastal Pay’s dual pricing program?

In many cases yes. Coastal Pay’s 2,000+ integration directory includes major retail and restaurant POS platforms. If your existing POS hardware is processor-agnostic, it can often be connected to Coastal Pay’s gateway without hardware replacement. Contact 888-266-1715 to confirm compatibility with your specific POS before applying.

How long does it take to go live with dual pricing after applying?

Most standard-risk U.S. businesses receive instant approval in approximately 2 minutes after submitting the Coastal Pay application. Simple setups with compatible hardware can be live the same day as approval. Multi-location or custom integrations typically take 3 to 7 business days for full configuration.