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Montana merchant acquiring operates under the general federal card-network framework, with the state's own footprint limited to the surcharge disclosure practice; no distinct MCC/chargeback statute identified.
Outlook
This is treated as a stable baseline absence rather than an active gap requiring near-term monitoring; any future Montana legislative activity on merchant acquiring would most likely arrive bundled with surcharge or card-scheme legislation (W4).
no periodic updates on record for this sub-brief
Sources and findings (3 unique sources · R-3/R-4)
- [W8-E1] T3 Derived: Probable in_forcehttps://merchantcostconsulting.com/lower-credit-card-processing-fees/montana-surcharge-laws/ re-verified
Montana merchants face typical credit card processing costs of 2-4% per transaction, comprising interchange, assessment and processor markup fees, informing merchant decisions between surcharging, cash-discount programs, or fee absorption under the state's 2025 surcharge disclosure regime.
- [W8-E2] T1 Derived: Confirmed in_forcehttps://law.justia.com/codes/montana/title-61/chapter-3/part-1/section-61-3-117/ re-verified
MCA 61-3-117 governs how Montana state agencies process card payments and pass through associated financial-institution fees, functioning as the closest analogue to a state-level acquiring/fee-passthrough rule for government merchant transactions.
- [W8-E3] T4 Derived: Uncertain in_forcehttps://963theblaze.com/why-am-i-being-charged-a-fee-to-use-my-card-at-montana-merchants/ re-verified
Debit card surcharging is prohibited under Visa/Mastercard network rules even where credit card surcharging is permitted, and Montana consumers report increasing merchant fee pass-through at point of sale following the 2025 surcharge law.