The current cash discounting feature (service fee at checkout) will soon be discontinued and replaced with a new cash discounting experience.

Availability and use may vary by jurisdiction. You are responsible for confirming that cash discounting is permitted for your business and location and for complying with applicable laws, card-network rules, notice, disclosure, signage, receipt, and pricing-display requirements. Provided information is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. You should consult with your own legal counsel for requirements governing your specific circumstances.

What’s changing with cash discounting?

To streamline payments management, cash discounting, surcharging, and all payment features will be brought together under Lightspeed Payments. The new cash discounting experience is designed to support card-inclusive pricing display and a more transparent checkout experience for your customers.

Previously, the cash discounting feature added a service fee for card-based transactions. With the new cash discounting experience, your item prices are set at the card-inclusive price upfront and cash-paying customers automatically receive a discount at the register.

• With cash discounting, you set the card-inclusive price upfront and offer a discount to cash-paying customers.

  With surcharging, you set a base price and an additional fee is applied to credit card transactions. The fee is visible and applied at checkout.

  Surcharging may not be available or permissible in all jurisdictions and, where available, is subject to applicable laws, card-network rules, notice and disclosure obligations, and Lightspeed’s then-current product configuration, eligibility, and operational requirements.

What actions do I need to take and when?

The new cash discounting feature will be gradually added to eligible accounts over the coming months. There will be no gap in functionality during this time.

Release timeline and required actions

1. You’ll receive an email letting you know the new cash discounting feature has been added to your account.

2. Once the feature has been added to your account, you’ll have until the date mentioned in the email to enable it in Retail POS to continue using cash discounting after that date.

   To maintain profit margins on cash purchases, you may also want to update your product prices.

3. Once the rollout to all accounts is complete, the legacy cash discounting feature will be removed from all accounts. To continue using cash discounting, the new cash discounting experience must be enabled in Retail POS.

How do I enable the new cash discounting feature in Retail POS?

Once you receive an email letting you know the new cash discounting feature has been added to your account, you must enable it in Retail POS to continue using cash discounting after the rollout is complete.

Enabling cash discounting with Lightspeed Payments

1. Navigate to Finance > Settings.

2. At the top right, click the dropdown and select the location where you want to enable cash discounting.

   Cash discounting must be enabled per location.

3. Click Payments.

4. Toggle on Cash discount.

   

   You can’t have cash discounting and surcharging enabled at the same time.

5. Enter a Cash discount percentage rate.
6. Click Save.
7. Repeat as needed for other locations, if applicable.

On the Sell screen, the Cash option will display the cash payment price in parentheses on the button. All other payment types will be charged the amount shown in the Pay field.

Enabling cash discounting without Lightspeed Payments

If you’re unable to use Lightspeed Payments but want to continue offering cash discounting, you can update your settings to the new cash discounting feature:

1. Navigate to Setup > Outlets and registers.
2. Choose a register and click the pencil icon to edit.

3. In the Sell settings section under Cash discounting, select Enable cash discount.

   

4. Confirm that your prices reflect the card price and click Continue. If you need to update your prices, you can do so on the Products page before continuing.
5. Enter in the percentage cash discount for all products.
6. Click Save.

On the Sell screen, the Cash option will display the cash payment price in parentheses on the button. All other payment types will be charged the amount shown in the Pay field.

Do I need to update my product prices?

If your current prices do not include a buffer for card processing costs and you want to maintain your profit margins on cash purchases, you’ll need to update your product prices before enabling the new cash discounting experience.

For example, if your item costs $5.00 and your cash discount amount is 2%, you'd set the product price to $5.10. Cash customers will automatically be charged $5.00 at checkout.

If you have a large catalog, you can update your prices in bulk on the Products page or edit using a spreadsheet.

Will this affect my past transactions or historical reporting?

No, there are no retroactive changes to past transactions or historical data.