Fees & Pricing

Interchange

The fee set by the card networks and paid to the customer's issuing bank on every transaction. Interchange is the largest, non-negotiable component of processing cost — everything a provider charges sits on top of it.

Because interchange is fixed by the networks, the honest way to compare providers is by the margin they add above it. Understanding interchange helps you read a quote for what it really is.

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Related terms

Fees & Pricing

Processing Fee

The total charge a merchant pays to accept a card payment, combining interchange, network assessments, and the provider's markup. Comparing the all-in effective rate — total fees divided by total volume — is the clearest way to judge cost.

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Fees & Pricing

Discount Rate

The percentage a merchant pays on each transaction under a bundled pricing model. It packages interchange and markup into one rate, which is simple to read but can obscure how much margin the provider is actually taking.

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Approvals & Underwriting

Merchant Category Code

A four-digit code that classifies a business by the products or services it sells. Card networks and banks use the MCC to set risk expectations, interchange, and monitoring — which is why certain codes are treated as high-risk.

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