Each year in April and October, the card brands update processing rates and rules. Below is a summary of the changes that will impact the broadest number of merchants.
Visa
Interchange Fees
Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP) – US
In April 2025, Visa announced changes to Level 2 and Level 3 interchange qualification for domestic Small Business and Commercial Card products. At that time, Level 3 was replaced with a new set of requirements known as CEDP Product 3.
Effective April 17, 2026, Commercial and Small Business Level 2 interchange programs were sunset except for the Fleet-fuel-only Level 2 program which is excluded from CEDP and will remain in place.
Rates are now as follows:
| Previous | Effective April 17, 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Interchange Program | Rate | Interchange Program | Rate |
| Corporate Card – Non-Travel Service, Level 2 | 2.50% + $0.10 | Corporate Card – CP | 2.50% + $0.10 |
| Corporate Card – CNP | 2.70% + $0.10 | ||
| Purchasing Card – Non-Travel Service, Level 2 | 2.50% + $0.10 | Purchasing Card – CP | 2.50% + $0.10 |
| Purchasing Card – CNP | 2.70% + $0.10 | ||
| Business Tier 1, Level 2 | 2.65% + $0.10 | Business Tier 1 Product 1 Card Not Present Credit | 2.65% + $0.10 |
| Business Tier 1 Product 2 Retail Credit | 1.90% + $0.10 | ||
| Business Tier 2, Level 2 | 2.80% + $0.10 | Business Tier 2 Product 1 Card Not Present Credit | 2.80% + $0.10 |
| Business Tier 2 Product 2 Retail Credit | 2.05% + $0.10 | ||
| Business Tier 3, Level 2 | 2.85% + $0.10 | Business Tier 3 Product 1 Card Not Present Credit | 2.85% + $0.10 |
| Business Tier 3 Product 2 Retail Credit | 2.10% + $0.10 | ||
| Business Tier 4, Level 2 | 2.95% + $0.10 | Business Tier 4 Product 1 Card Not Present Credit | 2.95% + $0.10 |
| Business Tier 4 Product 2 Retail Credit | 2.20% + $0.10 | ||
| Business Tier 5, Level 2 | 3.00% + $0.10 | Business Tier 5 Product 1 Card Not Present Credit | 3.00% + $0.10 |
| Business Tier 5 Product 2 Retail Credit | 2.25% + $0.10 |
NEW - Digital Commerce Authentication Program (DCAP) – US
Effective April 17, 2026, Visa introduced the Digital Commerce Authentication Program (DCAP), a new optional program intended to enhance data sharing for customer-initiated card not present transactions. Merchants who participate can qualify for lower interchange rates by providing additional enhanced data through messages by a Visa approved authentication solution (e.g., Visa Secure, 3DS or Visa Token Service). The enhanced data elements include device token (e.g., mobile serial number), IP address (cardholder's public IP address assigned to the device), email address, and full billing address. The goals of the program are to improve authorization approval rates and reduce fraud.
A five-basis point program fee will apply to transactions submitted with enhanced data as follows:
| Interchange Tier | Authentication Method | DCAP Service Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | EMV Token | n/a |
| Tier 2 | Enhanced Data + PAN | 0.05% |
| Tier 3 | Enhanced Data + EMV Token | 0.05% |
To illustrate, the new fee structure for a few consumer card types is provided below. To download the complete set of interchange tables for consumer cards that went into effect April 17, 2026 click here.
| Interchange Program | Previous | Effective April 17, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |||
| Non-Tokenized | Tokenized | EMV Token Only | Non-Tokenized, DCAP | Tokenized, DCAP | |
| VS PRODUCT 1 CNP CREDIT | 1.89% + $0.10 | 1.80% + $0.10 | 1.84% + $0.10 | 1.79% + $0.10 | 1.74% + $0.10 |
| VS PRODUCT 1 CNP REWARDS | 2.04% + $0.10 | 1.95% + $0.10 | 1.99% + $0.10 | 1.94% + $0.10 | 1.89% + $0.10 |
| VS PRODUCT 1 CNP SIGNATURE | 2.05% + $0.10 | 1.95% + $0.10 | 2.00% + $0.10 | 1.95% + $0.10 | 1.90% + $0.10 |
| VS PRODUCT 1 CNP SIGNATURE PREFERRED | 2.50% + $0.10 | 2.40% + $0.10 | 2.45% + $0.10 | 2.40% + $0.10 | 2.35% + $0.10 |
| VS PRODUCT 1 CNP INFINITE | 2.60% + $0.10 | 2.50% + $0.10 | 2.55% + $0.10 | 2.50% + $0.10 | 2.45% + $0.10 |
| VS PRODUCT 1 CNP INFINITE SNQ | 2.20% + $0.10 | 2.10% + $0.10 | 2.15% + $0.10 | 2.10% + $0.10 | 2.05% + $0.10 |
Network Fees
Digital Commerce Service Fee (DCSF) Modifications – US
Effective April 1, 2026, Visa bundled several tokenization services into one fee structure and revised the Digital Commerce Service Fee (DCSF) accordingly. For card-not-present transactions, Visa will no longer bill separately for Token Authentication Verification Value (TAVV), Visa Account Updater (VAU) (per match fees), Visa Digital Credential Updater (VDCU) or Visa Credential Enrichment Services (VCES). The DCSF applies to approved or declined CNP authorization transactions.
The new fee structure is as follows:
| Service Fee | Previous | New Rate Effective April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| VS DIGITAL COMMERCE SERVICE FEE DOMESTIC | 0.0075% | 0.015% |
| VS DIGITAL COMMERCE SERVICE FEE MIN DOMESTIC | $0.0075 | $0.01 |
| VS DIGITAL COMMERCE SERVICE FEE CROSS BORDER | 0.0075% | 0.035% |
| VS DIGITAL COMMERCE SERVICE FEE MIN CROSS BORDER | $0.0075 | $0.01 |
NEW – Card Present Token Fee – US
Effective April 1, 2026, Visa introduced a new Card Present Token fee of 0.01% for domestic and 0.05% for cross-border transactions which applies to card-present transactions processed with a Visa token.
NEW - Chargeback Compelling Evidence 3.0 Qualifications Fee – US
In October 2025, Visa began automatically qualifying transactions for Compelling Evidence 3.0 using Visa Secure data. For any fraud dispute under dispute condition 10.4: Other Fraud – Card Absent Environment where the merchant participates in Visa Secure, Visa will automatically review historical data collected through Visa Secure. The dispute will be closed if the Compelling Evidence 3.0 criteria are satisfied.
Effective April 17, 2026, Visa began assessing a new Compelling Evidence 3.0 fee of $6 for each dispute closed through this process.
Mastercard
Digital Enablement Fee Rate Modification – US
Effective April 6, 2026, Mastercard modified the Digital Enablement Fee for card-not-present transactions as follows:
| Service Fee | Previous | Effective April 6, 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | Threshold | Rate | Threshold | |
| MC DIGITAL ENABLEMENT FEE | 0.02% | >$100 | 0.025% | >$100 and <$2,000 |
| MC DIGITAL ENABLEMENT FEE MINIMUM | $0.02 | ≤$100 | $0.025 | ≤$100 |
| MC DIGITAL ENABLEMENT FEE MAXIMUM | n/a | n/a | $0.50 | ≥$2,000 |
Rule Update - Full PANs Prohibited in Dispute Documentation
Effective April 17, 2026, Mastercard no longer allows full primary account numbers in any document used for disputes. Violation of this rule may result in fines or additional fees. Merchants are advised to only show the last four digits of the card number in any document. The other digits in the account number must be masked.
American Express
Opt Blue Program Continuation Fee Modifications
Effective April 17, 2026, American Express modified the Opt Blue Program Continuation Fee. The Annual Charge Volume threshold increased from a limit of $1M to $3M for industries that have an established acquiring threshold; industries that do not have a threshold were not impacted. The fee was also modified from a single rate to a tiered rate structure as follows:
| Fee Description | Volume Tier | Previous Rate | Rate Effective April 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program Continuation Fee | <$1,000,000 | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| $3,000,000 - $15,000,000 | 0.03% | 0.03% | |
| $15,000,000 - $100,000,000 | 0.03% | 0.10% | |
| >$100,000,000.01 | 0.03% | 0.20% |
New Micro Ticket and Small Ticket Rates and Amount Thresholds
Effective April 17, 2026, Opt Blue introduced new micro ticket and small ticket rates for the Travel and Entertainment and Other merchant industry groups. The changes are intended to provide more flexibility for smaller transactions. The new fee structure is as follows:
| Previous | Effective April 17, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Interchange Program | Threshold | Rate | Threshold | Rate |
| Travel & Entertainment | Micro Ticket | n/a | n/a | ≤ $5.00 | 2.00% + $0.02 |
| Small Ticket | n/a | n/a | $5.01 - $15.00 | 1.60% + $0.04 | |
| Tier 1 | ≤ $100 | 2.25% + $0.10 | $15.01 - $100.00 | 2.25% + $0.10 | |
| Other | Micro Ticket | n/a | n/a | ≤ $5.00 | 2.00% + $0.02 |
| Small Ticket | n/a | n/a | $5.01 - $15.00 | 1.60% + $0.04 | |
| Tier 1 | ≤ $100 | 1.60% + $0.10 | $15.01 - $100.00 | 1.60% + $0.10 |
Discover
Supermarket Interchange Program Modifications – US
Effective April 17, 2026, Discover has modified consumer credit interchange fees for Prime Submission Level (PSL) Hotel/Car Rental and Passenger Transport as follows:
| Interchange Program | Product | Previous Rate | Effective April 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSL Hotel/Car Rental | Core | 1.58% + $0.10 | 1.75% + $0.10 |
| Premium | 2.30% + $0.10 | 2.25% + $0.10 | |
| Premium Plus | 2.57% + $0.10 | 2.55% + $0.10 | |
| PSL Passenger Transport | Premium | 2.30% + $0.10 | 2.25% + $0.10 |
| Premium Plus | 2.40% + $0.10 | 2.55% + $0.10 |
Effective April 17, 2026, Discover removed MCC 5300 (Warehouse Club) from the Supermarket program for credit, debit and pre-paid transactions. Those transactions will qualify for the PSL Retail Program. Rates are as follows:
| Product | Interchange Program | Rate | Interchange Program | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit | PSL Supermarket/Warehouse | 1.40% + $0.05 | PSL Retail | 1.57% + $0.10 |
| PSL Supermarket/Warehouse Rewards | 1.62% + $0.10 | PSL Retail Rewards | 1.72% + $0.10 | |
| PSL Supermarket/Warehouse Premium | 1.65% + $0.10 | PSL Retail Premium | 1.74% + $0.10 | |
| PSL Supermarket/Warehouse Premium Plus | 2.10% + $0.10 | PSL Retail Premium Plus | 2.25% + $0.10 | |
| Debit | PSL Supermarket/Warehouse Debit | 1.10% + $0.16 | PSL Retail Debit | 1.10% + $0.16 |
| PSL Supermarket/Warehouse Debit Regulated | 0.05% + $0.21 | PSL Retail Debit Regulated | 0.05% + $0.21 | |
| Prepaid | PSL Supermarket/Warehouse Prepaid | 1.12% + $0.16 | PSL Retail Prepaid | 1.12% + $0.16 |
| PSL Supermarket/Warehouse Prepaid Regulated | 0.05% + $0.21 | PSL Retail Prepaid Regulated | 0.05% + $0.21 |
Supermarket interchange program descriptors will be updated to reflect the removal of Warehouse Clubs.
Modifications to Interchange program Descriptors
Effective April 17, 2026 Discover modified descriptors for its consumer interchange program as follows:
| Previous Descriptor | Fee Program Effective April 17, 2026 |
|---|---|
| PSL Recurring Payments Rewards | PSL Recurring Payments Core Plus |
| PSL Supermarkets Rewards | PSL Supermarkets Core Plus |
| PSL Public Services Rewards | PSL Public Services Core Plus |
| PSL Express Service Rewards | PSL Express Services Core Plus |
| PSL Petroleum Rewards | PSL Petroleum Core Plus |
| PSL Retail Rewards | PSL Retail Core Plus |
| PSL Restaurants Rewards | PSL Restaurants Core Plus |
| PSL Hotels/Car Rentals Rewards | PSL Hotels/Car Rentals Core Plus |
| PSL Passenger Transport Rewards | PSL Passenger Transport Core Plus |
| PSL Card Not Present Rewards | PSL Card Not Present Core Plus |
| Key Entry Rewards | Key Entry Core Plus |
| Base Submission Level Rewards | Base Submission Level Core Plus |
| PSL Utilities Rewards | PSL Utilities Core Plus |
| PSL Real Estate Rewards | PSL Real Estate Core Plus |
| PSL Insurance Rewards | PSL Insurance Core Plus |
| PSL E-Commerce Rewards | PSL E-Commerce Core Plus |
| PSL E-Commerce Secured Rewards | PSL E-Commerce Secured Core Plus |
| PSL Micro Ticket Rewards | PSL Micro Ticket Core Plus |
| PSL Charity Rewards | PSL Charity Core Plus |
| Adjustment Voucher Program Rewards | Adjustment Voucher Program Core Plus |
