South Africans don’t only pull out the plastic at tills, more of us expect the guy in the bakkie to have a card reader too. But with merchant-service fees sitting around 2½ %–3 %, is it worth it for small, mobile contractors? Let’s unpack the numbers, the law and the negotiables.

Card-Payment Surcharges in South Africa: Can Shops Pass the Swipe-Fee on to You? Short answer: No – unless the extra fee was clearly...