FinTech 5
2026 Interchange Rate Cheat Sheet
The exact rates Visa and Mastercard charge, before your processor marks them up.
Free Guide
What is interchange?
Interchange is the fee paid to the card-issuing bank every time a card is used. Visa and Mastercard set it. Your processor does not. Your processor pays interchange and then charges you interchange plus their own markup. On Interchange+ (IC+) pricing, those two numbers are shown separately. On flat-rate or tiered pricing, they are blended, and the processor keeps the spread. The rates below are the baseline costs. If your effective rate is materially higher, your processor is keeping the difference.
Visa: key interchange categories
| Card / Transaction Type | Interchange Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CPS Retail (Chip/Tap) | 1.51% + $0.10 | Card present, PIN or tap |
| CPS Retail (Swiped) | 1.51% + $0.10 | Magnetic stripe, card present |
| CPS Key-Entered | 1.80% + $0.10 | Card present, manually keyed |
| Card-Not-Present | 1.80% + $0.10 | E-commerce, phone orders |
| CPS Hotel / Car Rental | 1.54% + $0.10 | Lodging & auto industry |
| Rewards Card (Retail) | 1.65% + $0.10 | Consumer rewards, card present |
| Rewards Card (CNP) | 1.95% + $0.10 | Consumer rewards, card-not-present |
| Signature Preferred (Retail) | 2.10% + $0.10 | High-tier consumer rewards |
| Signature Preferred (CNP) | 2.40% + $0.10 | High-tier rewards, e-commerce |
| Business Card (Retail) | 2.20% + $0.10 | Commercial/business cards |
| Business Card (CNP) | 2.50% + $0.10 | Business cards, card-not-present |
| Corporate / Purchasing Card | 2.65% + $0.10 | Large B2B purchasing cards |
| Debit (Regulated / PIN) | 0.05% + $0.22 | Banks >$10B assets, PIN debit |
| Debit (Regulated / Sig) | 0.05% + $0.22 | Banks >$10B assets, signature |
| Debit (Unregulated / PIN) | 1.15% + $0.15 | Small bank / credit union debit |
Mastercard: key interchange categories
| Card / Transaction Type | Interchange Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Merit I (Card Present) | 1.48% + $0.10 | Basic consumer, chip/swipe |
| Merit III (Retail) | 1.58% + $0.10 | Qualified retail, card present |
| Electronic (CNP) | 1.73% + $0.10 | Standard e-commerce |
| World Card (Retail) | 1.82% + $0.10 | World/World Elite, card present |
| World Card (CNP) | 2.20% + $0.10 | World/World Elite, e-commerce |
| World Elite (Retail) | 2.00% + $0.10 | Top-tier consumer rewards |
| World Elite (CNP) | 2.50% + $0.10 | Top-tier rewards, card-not-present |
| Business Card (Retail) | 2.05% + $0.10 | Commercial cards, card present |
| Business Card (CNP) | 2.65% + $0.10 | Commercial cards, e-commerce |
| Corporate / Purchasing Card | 2.65% + $0.10 | Large B2B / government purchasing |
| Debit (Regulated / PIN) | 0.05% + $0.22 | Banks >$10B assets |
| Debit (Unregulated) | 1.05% + $0.15 | Small bank / credit union debit |
7 Red Flags on Your Statement
Effective rate > 3%
Anything above 2.8% for a mixed card volume is being padded, either with tiered buckets or a fat processor margin.
Flat-rate pricing
"2.6% + $0.10 on everything" sounds simple but costs you on debit and cheap consumer cards where true interchange is under 1.6%.
Tiered pricing (Qual/Mid/Non)
Processors classify cards into buckets and profit on the spread. Rewards and CNP cards get dumped in the expensive Non-Qual tier.
Monthly minimum fees
A processor charging a "monthly minimum" is penalizing low-volume months. IC+ has no minimums.
PCI non-compliance fee
A real processor charges for PCI compliance, not for being out of compliance. Non-compliance fees are made-up revenue.
Equipment lease / rental
A $49/month terminal lease over 4 years = $2,352 for a $300 machine. FinTech 5 provides hardware free.
Early termination fee
No reputable IC+ processor needs to trap you with a contract penalty. Exit clauses signal a bad deal.
Ready to see your actual effective rate?
Upload a statement. We send a full audit with competitive bids. Most take about 15 minutes. Free.