Payment Fee Disclosures & Compliance Guidelines

This page outlines the rules, disclosures, and compliance considerations related to payment acceptance and convenience fee usage within the 360io platform.

Last updated: December 11, 2025

Just like Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and major airlines, your clinic can add a small, clearly disclosed service or convenience fee at checkout so you keep more of what you earn.

These Payment Fee Disclosures & Compliance Guidelines explain how card-processing costs, convenience fees, and clinic responsibilities operate when using the 360io platform. This information is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, tax, or compliance advice. Clinics must consult their own legal counsel, accountant, and compliance officer regarding their specific regulatory obligations.

1. 360io Is Not a Payment Processor

360io is a software platform that enables clinics to manage digital payments using their own payment processor. 360io does not:

Process, settle, or transmit payments
Act as a merchant of record
Hold or move clinic funds
Set or negotiate processing rates
Provide underwriting or merchant approvals

All payments are processed through the clinic’s existing merchant processor (e.g., Stripe or any other provider). Funds are deposited directly into the clinic’s designated bank account.

2. Clinic Responsibility for Standard Processing Fees

Clinics remain responsible for all standard processing fees charged by their merchant processor, including:

Interchange
Assessment fees
Processor markups
Dispute and chargeback fees
Any other processor-defined charges

360io does not modify, reduce, eliminate, or influence processor fees in any way.

3. Understanding Convenience Fees

A convenience fee is an additional charge applied when a customer pays through an alternative, convenient method — such as an online portal or mobile app.

Convenience fees are widely used in industries including:

Rideshare platforms
Ticketing and event systems
Government payment portals
Utilities
Digital medical billing systems

Clinics may choose to use convenience fees to offset some or all of their card-processing expenses. This does not eliminate processor fees; it may reduce the clinic’s net cost of accepting card payments.

4. Legal, State, Processor, and Card-Network Requirements

Convenience fees are governed by multiple regulatory layers:

A. State Laws

Some states or U.S. territories restrict or prohibit certain fee types.
Clinics must confirm their own state’s legal requirements before enabling fees.

B. Card-Network Rules

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover each impose rules regarding:

When convenience fees may be used
How fees must be disclosed
Whether the fee is fixed or percentage-based
Which card types may be included or excluded

C. Processor Policies

Processors may set their own rules for surcharge or convenience-fee usage.

Clinic Responsibility

Clinics are solely responsible for confirming and maintaining compliance with all applicable laws, card-brand rules, and processor requirements.

360io does not interpret or enforce legal standards on behalf of clinics.

5. FTC Transparency Requirements (2025 Standards)

Clinics must comply with the FTC’s fee-transparency rules, including:

Clear disclosure of any convenience or service fee before payment
Transparent display of fee amounts
Inclusion of fees on receipts and confirmations
No hidden or deceptive fee practices

360io provides tools to display fees, but clinics control the settings and final presentation of fees to patients.

6. HIPAA & Data Privacy Clarification

The Processing Fee Offset Calculator and convenience-fee tools:

Do not store, process, or transmit PHI
Do not collect card data
Operate independently from clinical medical records

A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is available for covered clinical features within 360io that involve PHI, but surcharge and calculator tools operate outside the scope of PHI handling.

7. Third-Party Financing (e.g., Affirm)

Financing platforms such as Affirm, CareCredit, or others set their own fees based on loan terms, risk profiles, and approval conditions.

These financing fees:

Are separate from card-processing fees
Are controlled solely by the financing provider
Are not influenced or determined by 360io

Clinics must review their agreements with financing providers.

8. Refunds, Disputes & Chargebacks

All refunds, disputes, and chargebacks are handled directly between the clinic and their payment processor.

360io does:

Not mediate disputes
Not control refund decisions
Not influence chargeback outcomes
Not guarantee merchant performance

Clinics must follow their processor’s dispute-resolution policies.

9. Processor Rate Changes & Network Adjustments

Card-network rules and processor rates may change at any time, including:

Interchange updates
Assessment fee changes
Processor markup revisions
Network-specific surcharges

All savings or offset calculations provided by 360io are illustrative only.
360io does not guarantee future fee outcomes.

10. Calculator & Estimate Limitations

The Processing Fee Offset Calculator provides estimates for educational purposes only. Results vary based on:

Clinic-configured convenience-fee levels
Actual processor rate structures
State-specific legal restrictions
Network rules and updates

Clinics must base decisions on their actual processor statements.

11. 360io Does Not Provide Legal, Financial, or Tax Advice

Nothing in this page or within the 360io platform constitutes:

Legal advice
Financial or tax guidance
Regulatory interpretation

Clinics must consult qualified professionals before implementing any fee strategy.

12. Intellectual Property Notice