If you’re currently on an interchange pricing structure or considering making the switch from tiered/flat rate to interchange, the below information and chart may prove helpful! Interchange Fees are charged by and paid directly to the card issuing brands such as Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express (AMEX). Interchange pricing is the lowest pricing structure for payment processing, however, it is not as predictable as a flat rate plan.
What is interchange pricing?
Interchange is a credit card industry term used to describe the fee paid for card-based transactions. These fees are charged monthly (or deducted per transaction) to merchants based on the card types ran per transaction. In some cases (American Express), interchange rates can be determined by volume as well as card type. Each card issuing brand has several card types that are available to cardholders, it’s not as simple as “credit” or “debit”.
Not only does each card type come with a specific interchange rate, each interchange rate is also broken down by transaction method. On most interchange rate charts you may see “Card Present” and “Card Not-Present” or “Keyed” descriptors. Card present environments are your typical brick and mortar (retail) stores where a customer makes a transaction in person via a POS stand. Card not present or keyed environments are purchases made when a customer is not physically present, ie. by mail, telephone or over the Internet. Both card type and transaction method determine the interchange rate a merchant may be charged for processing payment.
Is an interchange pricing plan better than a traditional flat rate plan?
Once the interchange rate is determined the card issuer charges the associated fee to the merchant. Depending on your payment services plan you may pay theses fees directly or these fees might be covered under a flat rate. With traditional tiered or flat rate pricing these rates are inflated enough to cover all possible interchange rates. On interchange pricing plans merchants are charged these rates directly, along with a small processing fee. With interchange pricing your rates do not need to be inflated to cover the cost of possible interchange fees, this allows processors to charge a much smaller processing fee or discount rate. This is why eCom Merchant Solutions, Inc. now offers competitive interchange pricing plans for e-commerce businesses, if you want to make the switch click here to apply!
There is no easy way to determine your interchange fees prior to accepting a payment, however, the below rate charts can give you an idea of the possible fees you may come across. The below rates are selections of popular card issuing companies and common card types, for a full list of card types and fees please inquire with the individual card issuer.
Visa |
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| Card Type | Interchange | Card Type | Interchange |
| Debit Card-Present | Debit Keyed | ||
| Visa Debit CPS | 0.800 % + 15¢ | Visa Debit Keyed CPS | 1.650 % + 15¢ |
| Visa Debit CPS Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ | Visa Debit Keyed CPS Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ |
| Visa Debit Prepaid | 1.150 % + 15¢ | Visa Debit Keyed Prepaid | 1.750 % + 20¢ |
| Visa Debit Business | 1.700 % + 15¢ | Visa Debit Keyed Business | 2.450 % + 10¢ |
| Visa Debit Business Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ | Visa Debit Keyed Business Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ |
| Credit Card-Present | Credit Keyed | ||
| Visa CPS Retail | 1.510 % + 10¢ | Visa Keyed CPS Retail | 1.800 % + 10¢ |
| Visa Rewards Traditional | 1.650 % + 10¢ | Visa Keyed Rewards Traditional | 1.950 % + 10¢ |
| Visa Rewards Signature | 2.300 % + 10¢ | Visa Keyed Rewards Signature | 2.700 % + 10¢ |
| Visa Rewards Signature Preferred | 2.100 % + 10¢ | Visa Keyed Rewards Signature Preferred | 2.400 % + 10¢ |
| Visa Corporate | 2.500 % + 10¢ | Visa Keyed Corporate | 2.700 % + 10¢ |
| Visa Business | 2.200 % + 10¢ | Visa Keyed Business | 2.250 % + 20¢ |
| Visa Purchasing | 2.500 % + 10¢ | Visa Keyed Purchasing | 2.700 % + 10¢ |
| International | |
| Visa International | 1.10% |
| Visa International Premium | 1.80% |
| Visa International Corporate | 2.00% |
| Visa International Keyed | 1.60% |
| Visa Assessment Fees | |
| Visa Card-Brand | 0.14% |
| Visa NAPF (Network Acquirer Processing Fee) | 1.95¢ |
| Visa Clearing Access | 0.25¢ |
| Visa International Cross-Border | 0.80% |
| Visa Intl Acquirer Service Fee | 0.45% |
*For a complete list of Visa interchange rates, please click here.
Mastercard |
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| Card Type | Interchange | Card Type | Interchange |
| Debit Card-Present | Debit Keyed | ||
| MC Debit | 1.050 % + 15¢ | MC Debit Keyed | 1.600 % + 15¢ |
| MC Debit Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ | MC Debit Keyed Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ |
| MC Debit Prepaid | 1.050 % + 15¢ | MC Debit Keyed Prepaid | 1.760 % + 20¢ |
| Credit Card-Present | Credit Keyed | ||
| MC Consumer | 1.580 % + 10¢ | MC Keyed Consumer | 1.890 % + 10¢ |
| MC Enhanced | 1.730 % + 10¢ | MC Keyed Enhanced | 2.040 % + 10¢ |
| MC World | 1.770 % + 10¢ | MC Keyed World | 2.050 % + 10¢ |
| MC World Elite | 2.200 % + 10¢ | MC Keyed World Elite | 2.500 % + 10¢ |
| MC Corporate | 2.700 % + 10¢ | MC Keyed Corporate | 2.700 % + 10¢ |
| Real Estate & Property Management | |||
| MC Real Estate Consumer | 1.100 % + 10¢ | ||
| MC Real Estate Enhanced | 1.100 % + 10¢ | ||
| MC Real Estate World | 1.100 % + 10¢ | ||
| MC Real Estate World Elite | 2.200 % + 10¢ | ||
| MC Real Estate Corporate | 2.700 % + 10¢ | ||
| Charities | |||
| MC Charity Debit (non-regulated) | 1.450 % + 15¢ | ||
| MC Charity Credit | 2.000 % + 10¢ | ||
| International | |||
| MC International | 1.10% | ||
| MC International Keyed | 1.60% | ||
| Mastercard Assessment Fees | |||
| MC Card-Brand (Under $1,000) | 0.13% | ||
| MC Card-Brand (Over $1,000) | 0.14% | ||
| MC ALF (Acquirer License Fee) | 0.00% | ||
| MC NABU (Network Brand Usage Fee) | 1.95¢ | ||
| MC Account Status Inquiry (on $0 auth) | 2.500¢ | ||
| MC CVC 2 Authorization Fee | 0.250¢ | ||
| MC AVS Authorization Fee | 1.000¢ | ||
| MC Intl Cross-Border Support | 0.60% | ||
| MC International Cross-Border | 0.85% |
*For a complete list of Mastercard interchange rates, download here.
Discover Network |
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| Card Type | Interchange | Card Type | Interchange |
| Debit Card-Present | Debit Keyed | ||
| Discover Debit | 1.100 % + 16¢ | Discover Debit Keyed | 1.750 % + 20¢ |
| Discover Debit Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ | Discover Debit Keyed Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ |
| Credit Card-Present | Credit Keyed | ||
| Discover Consumer | 1.560 % + 10¢ | Discover Keyed Consumer | 1.870 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Rewards | 1.710 % + 10¢ | Discover Keyed Rewards | 1.970 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Premium | 1.710 % + 10¢ | Discover Keyed Premium | 2.000 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Premium Plus | 2.150 % + 10¢ | Discover Keyed Premium Plus | 2.400 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Commercial | 2.300 % + 10¢ | Discover Keyed Commercial | 2.300 % + 10¢ |
| International (Card-Present / Swiped) | International (Keyed) | ||
| Discover Card-Present International Debit/Prepaid | 1.20% | Discover Keyed International Debit/Prepaid | 1.700 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Card-Present International Consumer | 1.65% | Discover Card-Present International Consumer | 1.700 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Card-Present International Rewards | 1.65% | Discover Card-Present International Rewards | 1.700 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Card-Present International Premium | 1.65% | Discover Card-Present International Premium | 1.700 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Card-Present International Premium Plus | 1.65% | Discover Card-Present International Premium Plus | 1.790 % + 10¢ |
| Discover Card-Present International Commercial | 1.90% | Discover Card-Present International Commercial | 1.900 % + 10¢ |
| Recurring | |||
| Discover Debit Recurring | 1.200 % + 5¢ | ||
| Discover Debit Recurring Regulated | 0.050 % + 22¢ | ||
| Discover Recurring Consumer | 1.350 % + 5¢ | ||
| Discover Recurring Rewards | 1.350 % + 5¢ | ||
| Discover Recurring Premium | 1.350 % + 5¢ | ||
| Discover Recurring Premium Plus | 1.800 % + 5¢ | ||
| Discover Recurring Commercial | 2.300 % + 10¢ | ||
| Assessments and Association Fees | |||
| Discover Card-Brand | 0.13% | ||
| Discover Data Usage Fee | 1.95¢ | ||
| Discover Data Transmission Fee | 0.25¢ | ||
| Discover International Cross-Border | 0.80% | ||
| Discover International Processing Fee | 0.50% |
*Please contact Discover for a complete list of rates.
American Express (OPT BLUE ONLY) |
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| Card Type | Interchange |
| AMEX RETAIL <$75 | 1.60 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX RETAIL <$1000 | 1.95 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX RETAIL >$1000 | 2.40 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX SERVICES <$400 | 1.60 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX SERVICES <$3000 | 1.95 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX SERVICES >$3000 | 2.40 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX RESTAURANT <$25 | 1.85 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX RESTAURANT <$150 | 2.45 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX RESTAURANT >$150 | 2.75 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX CATERERS <$25 | 1.85 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX CATERERS <$150 | 2.45 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX CATERERS >$150 | 2.75 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX MAIL ORDER & INTERNET <$150 | 1.70 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX MAIL ORDER & INTERNET <$3000 | 2.05 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX MAIL ORDER & INTERNET >$3000 | 2.50 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX HEALTHCARE <$150 | 1.55 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX HEALTHCARE <$2000 | 1.85 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX HEALTHCARE >$2000 | 2.30 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX B2B/WHOLESALE <$400 | 1.55 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX B2B/WHOLESALE <$7500 | 1.80 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX B2B/WHOLESALE >$7500 | 2.25 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX LODGING <$100 | 2.25 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX LODGING <$1000 | 2.60 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX LODGING >$1000 | 3.00 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX T&E <$100 | 2.25 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX T&E <$1000 | 2.60 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX T&E >$1000 | 3.00 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX PREPAID <$75 | 1.35 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX PREPAID <$1000 | 1.70 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX PREPAID >$1000 | 2.15 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX OTHER <$100 | 1.50 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX OTHER <$3000 | 1.85 % + 10¢ |
| AMEX OTHER >$3000 | 2.30 % + 10¢ |
| Assessments and Association Fees | |
| AMEX NETWORK FEES(Applies to all transactions.) | 0.15% |
| AMEX INTL CROSS BORDER FEE(Applies to all international transactions.) | 0.40% |
| AMEX KEYED FEE(Applies to all manually keyed transactions.) | 0.30% |
*Please contact American Express for a complete list of rates.
*Interchange fees update biannually, check with the card issuer for the most accurate rates.
10/2019