Colorado HB25-1090 for Restaurants: How to Disclose Service Charges and Automatic Gratuities
Colorado HB25-1090 lets restaurants keep service charges if every menu, website and phone quote states the amount and who gets it before the guest orders.
#junk-fees
Junk Fees
Junk fee regulations, hidden fee bans, and all-in pricing compliance
Illinois Bans Junk Fees: What HB 228 Means for Your Prices in 2027
Illinois HB 228 requires all-in pricing from January 1, 2027 — mandatory fees belong in the advertised price; only taxes, government fees and shipping stay out.
Colorado's Honest Pricing Law Is Now in Effect: What HB25-1090's All-In Price Rule Means for Your Business
Colorado's HB25-1090 took effect January 1, 2026, requiring any business that advertises a price to Colorado customers to show the maximum total including every mandatory fee, displayed more prominently than any other price. Violations are deceptive trade practices under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act — up to $20,000 per violation, treble damages in private suits, and 18% compounded interest on unlawful rental fees.
When "Free" Isn't Free: What the FTC's $60 Million Instacart Settlement Means for Your Pricing, Guarantees, and Free Trials
The FTC's December 2025 Instacart settlement priced three common practices at $60 million in refunds — "free delivery" with a mandatory service fee, a satisfaction guarantee paid out in credits, and trials converting without express consent — and this checklist maps each allegation onto disclosure, guarantee, and ROSCA subscription rules small businesses must follow.
That $499 Charge on Your Statement Isn't From Visa: How to Spot and Fight Card-Processing Junk Fees
A merchant's audit guide to card-processing statements — how to separate non-negotiable interchange from processor markup, interrogate nine common junk fees including $450–$529 annual "infrastructure" charges, compute your effective rate, and script the call that gets them removed.
Shift4's $2,000 Annual Service and Maintenance Fee: What Landed on Your August Statement
Shift4 folded the $250-per-device Annual Program Fee and the $325-per-device Regulatory Assurance Fee (capped at $975) into one roughly $2,000 Annual Service and Maintenance Fee starting with August 2026 statements. Here is how to reconstruct your baseline, dispute it within the 30-day window, price the exit before switching, and book the charge as merchant account fees accrued at about $167 a month.
NYC Banned Hidden Hotel Fees and Surprise Card Holds: A Compliance and Bookkeeping Guide
Since February 21, 2026, New York City requires hotels and short-term rental hosts to advertise an all-in total price including every mandatory fee, and to disclose credit card holds and advance deposits before the guest pays. Here is how the rule differs from the federal FTC junk-fee rule, what counts as mandatory, and how to keep room revenue, fee revenue, deposits, and incidental holds straight in your ledger.
The Surge-Pricing Backlash: Why Raising Prices at Rush Hour Costs More Than It Earns
Surveys put 64% of diners against restaurant surge pricing and 81% ready to avoid peak hours or leave entirely, while 75% will shift to an off-peak visit for an incentive — so discount the trough instead of taxing the peak, and track discounts, daypart P&L and delivery fees as separate lines.
Connecticut's All-In Pricing Law Is Live: The July 1, 2026 Junk-Fee Ban Every Business Selling to CT Customers Needs to Follow
Connecticut's S.B. 3 takes effect July 1, 2026: every business advertising to Connecticut must show an all-in price that includes all mandatory fees. Learn who must comply, the tax and shipping exceptions, how it compares to the FTC rule, and the bookkeeping checklist to align your price tags, POS, and ledger.