Interchange Fee Calculator
What the issuing bank takes, and what is negotiable.
Processor pricing varies by country, card type and whatever you negotiated, and it changes without much notice. Take the real figures from your own statement — these defaults are a starting point, not your account.
Total cost of acceptance
$2.31
2.89%, of which 2.23% is interchange
Interchange is 76.99% of what you pay and goes to the card issuer, not your processor — it is the same for everyone and not negotiable. The same purchase on a regulated debit card would carry $0.25 of interchange instead of $1.78, which is why premium rewards cards are expensive to accept and why some merchants steer to debit.
How the Interchange Fee Calculator works
Most of what you pay to accept a card never reaches your processor. Interchange goes to the bank that issued the customer's card, scheme fees go to Visa or Mastercard, and only the remainder is your acquirer's margin — which is the only part anyone can negotiate.
Not financial advice. Marketplace fees change, and they vary by country, plan and seller status. Every rate here is an editable default, not a quoted price — check the platform's current fee schedule before you price a product against it. This is not tax or business advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is interchange?
The fee the acquiring bank pays the issuing bank on every card transaction. It is set by the card networks, published, identical for everyone, and not negotiable. It typically makes up 70% to 80% of what a small merchant pays.
Why do rewards cards cost more?
Because the rewards are funded by interchange. A premium travel card carries interchange well above a basic debit card, and the merchant pays for the points the customer earns.
What is regulated debit?
In the US, debit interchange for large issuers is capped by regulation at a fixed amount plus a small percentage — far below credit card rates. In the EU and UK, both debit and credit consumer interchange are capped, which is why European processing rates are so much lower.
What can I actually negotiate?
Only the acquirer margin. Any conversation about the headline rate that ignores the interchange split will go nowhere, because your processor cannot discount money it passes straight through.